Safe Bet
by LadyRaider
Summary: EPILOGUE UP. What was wrong with safe, anyway? Spoilers for Grace.
1. The Party

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter One: The Party**

**Summary: What was wrong with safe, anyway?**

**Spoilers: Mostly for Grace (major spoilers), but everything so far I guess.**

**Season: Everything up until Recokning I and II- that's all that hasn't happened in my world.**

**Disclaimer: Well, the show isn't mine and the characters are mine, there are no original characters I think, so I don't have any of those. Um ... don't sue? **

**A/N: I got the idea for this story by watching the episode "Grace", it just came to me. Hope you enjoy. It starts off a little behind, but it's gonna pick up by the next chapter. I kind of played around with this idea for awhile before I finally decided to post it, so I've had this for like two months or more... as well as the next two chapters. I'm taking it slow, though, because I'm still in the middle of three other stories. So, don't expect instant updates...  
**

**XXXX**

Sam glanced around the backyard, a forced smile on her face. As the colonel had promised as soon as she recovered there had been a party planed. Thankfully, it was just a small, intimate get together with a guest list that she could count on less than two hands. Daniel, Teal'c, and of course the colonel were there, as were General Hammond, her father, and Janet and Cassie. That was it, 7 guests, 8 including her.

She had just arrived; everybody was already present and waiting for her. Locking eyes with Janet she motioned for the doctor to come over, she needed a friend to talk with. Janet noticed the strange look in her eyes and excused herself from Daniel and Cassie, then walked towards her friend.

However, a certain colonel (the cause of her distress) reached Sam first. Janet sent her a look that said "later" and went back to talking with Daniel and Cassie, glancing over her shoulder as she did so. Sam wasn't sure if she liked the smile that her friend's face held; it seemed a little ... suggesting. That was the last thing she needed at the moment- another suggestion about her love life.

"Carter..." he said as he walked up to her, "you're late."

She nodded, "I know, sir. I got caught in traffic. It would have taken longer, but I was on my bike."

"Well," he said with a sigh. "Just as long as you're safe-"

Safe. There was that damn word again. She trailed off into her own thoughts, barely paying attention to the "it's dangerous enough off world" speech that her CO was giving her, for what reason she had no clue. Safe. What was so bad about safe, though? Wasn't that what every woman wanted, the feeling of safety, of comfort? Then why was it so horrible that she thought he was safe?

_"Came to give me a pep talk?" She asked, a bemused expression on her face._

_He shrugged, "That's what friends are for."_

_She nodded, "...Friends."_

_"Hey," he said. "This is you talking here. Might as well be honest." _

_"What if I quit the air force?" She mused, "Would that change anything... or is it an excuse?"_

_He thought a moment, "I would never ask you to give up your career."_

_"Because you don't feel anything for me?" She asked._

_"Carter..."_

_"I'd let you go right now if I knew." _

_"That easy?" he questioned._

_She shook her head, "I didn't say it would be easy."_

_"Then what's stoppin' you, if you really wanna know?"_

_"I'm trying," she confessed. _

_"Maybe it's not me that's the problem here," he said. "Let's face it, I'm not that complex."_

_"Me?"_

_"Sam ... I'm a safe bet."_

_She understood, "As long as I'm thinking about you, setting my sights on what I think is unobtainable, there's no chance of being hurt by somebody else."_

_"Jacob boy is right ... you deserve more. I will always be there for you," he promised, "no matter what. Believe me."_

_"So what now?" she asked. _

_He smiled, "Go save your ass."_

"Thank you sir," she said coming out of her thoughts, trying to end the conversation as soon as possible. "I'll keep that in mind." Without another word she turned from him and began to walk away, an aching feeling in the pit of her stomach. Why was she paying so much attention to what she had told herself on that ship? It's not like it was actually Jack ... Colonel O'Neill had actually told her those things; it wasn't him trying to convince her to move on. So, what was the problem here?

The problem was that she knew she had been right. By thinking this way about her CO she was keeping herself a safe distance from those who could potentially hurt her, no matter that she was hurting herself by wanting what she couldn't have. But she knew that wasn't the only reason she had those feelings for him- no matter what reason- they were genuine. She had fallen for him a long time ago and there was no way to get back up, even if she had the least bit of desire to do so.

She let herself into his house by way of the sliding glass doors off of the deck. She was sure they had all noticed her leave, but was praying that nobody would follow, not even Janet. She wanted to be alone; she needed to be alone. She contemplated sitting on the sofa but then thought better of it, deciding to lock herself in the bathroom. Sitting on the commode she sighed, then went back to thinking.

Was her father ... rather herself, right? He had told her that it was time to let go of the things that prevented her from finding happiness. Was Jack preventing her from being happy? Were her feelings from Jack keeping her from finding somebody else who she could love ... that could love her back? The answer to that was ... yes, but did she want to give him up?

What was wrong with safe, anyway?

**XXXX**

"Sam?" Janet called, walking into the house. "Sam where are you?"

No answer. She began searching around, not in the kitchen, not in the living room. The bathroom, maybe? When she stepped into the hallway she saw that she was right, there was a light coming from the crack under the bathroom door. "Sam, come on back outside. This party's for you, anyway." She called through the door. When she didn't answer she tried to open the door, it was locked. "Sam? Sam come on, what's wrong?"

"Just ... give me a minute." Came Sam's frustrated voice from the other side. Janet was relieved to not hear tears in her voice, so she stood back and waited.

Sam opened the door to the bathroom with a frown, "What is it, Jan?"

"Jack planned this party for you, Sam, and here you are cooped up in the bathroom. And for what reason?"

She shook her head; "It's complicated."

"It must be," she said with a sigh. "Come on, he's worried about you, so is everybody else." She took her friend by the hand and pulled her outside, onto the back deck. Sam tried to stop walking when she realized that Janet was bringing her back over to talk with Jack, but the doctor kept pulling. When they reached the colonel Janet stopped and turned to Sam, "We will talk about this later." She told her sternly, then she walked away to chat with General Hammond and General Carter.

Sam watched her as she walked away then turned back around to look at her CO. He held a beer in his right hand and was studying her attentively.

"You ok, Carter?"

She nodded, "Fine, sir."

"Is that why you locked yourself in my house?" He asked, taking a sip of his beer. "Or, is there another reason?"

"I just needed some time to think, sir. No big deal."

"I don't know," he mused, "it seemed like a big deal to me. I mean, I know I'm not very interesting, but when you stop paying attention I worry." He shrugged, "Care to explain?"

"At the moment, sir, not really." She gave him a half smile, "I'm fine, sir. Believe me." She kept herself from cringing at the gross familiarity of the words.

He sighed, nodding. "Alright ... I'll try"

She cut him off, "Thank you, sir."

"-if you quit calling me sir," he finished with a smug smile. "Deal?"

"Deal ... Jack."

"There you go." He said with a wide smile, "See, that wasn't so hard, now was it?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "I'm going to go talk with dad," she was tempted to say 'sir' but caught herself. "I'll talk to you later, Jack."

"You do that." He said, drinking the last of his beer. As she went to talk with her father he went to speak with Janet, who was talking with Teal'c and Daniel on the deck.

Sam met her father with a smile and a hug. Letting go she asked how he was doing.

"Things are going good, Sammie. What about you? I heard about what happened on the Prometheus."

"It wasn't exactly the best four days of my life, but it wasn't the worst either." She smiled at him; "I'm ok."

"Well, that's all that matters," he said. "Have you heard from your brother any time soon? I'd like to go visit him on his birthday, but when I called he wasn't home."

"Um ... yeah. I talked to him earlier this morning; I was going to go up to California and see him tomorrow, since I have time off until next week. Do you have to get back to the Tok'ra anytime soon, or can you come on with me?"

"I'd like that. I don't have to get back to the Tok'ra home world for a couple of days. I'll try and call him sometime later, let him know that I'm coming with you."

"Ok. I know that he was going to do something this weekend for his birthday, instead of Monday. If I'm correct he said a couple of his college buddies were going to come up to see him too, since this is his big 4-0."

He nodded, "Well ... you go and talk with everybody else, alright Sammie? You've been gone for awhile, I'm sure Cassie probably has a lot of things to tell you, and Doctor Fraiser has been giving me the evil eye ever since you walked over to me."

Sam smiled, "Ok ... are you going to stay with me tonight, or on base?"

"Probably with you, if you don't mind."

"Why would I mind?" She asked, "I'll come by and talk with you in a bit." She gave him another hug and walked over to where Janet and Cassie were arguing over something.

"Hey guys," she asked. "What's up?"

"Mom won't let me go out tonight," Cassie huffed. "It's only to see a movie!"

"Absolutely no way am I letting you go out with Sandra Hurlan, you think I don't know about the things that girl does?" She gave her a stern look; "You will not go anywhere with that," she caught herself before she could say anything worse, "...you just won't go near her."

"Mom, I'm not twelve anymore. I can take care of myself," she argued. "I won't do anything bad."

"No," she said simply. "Don't even think of asking again."

Cassie rolled her eyes and sulked off, "Fine." She walked to where Daniel was sitting in a lawn chair reading some archeology magazine and started to vent. Somewhere during the conversation he looked over at Janet and Sam and mouthed "help". The other two doctors just laughed and started to talk.

"What was that all about earlier?" Janet asked, leading Sam over to a secluded area of the backyard. "And please don't tell me "nothing" because I know it had to be something big."

"It's a long story, Jan." She explained.

Her friend just smiled at her. "I've got nothing but time."

**XXXX**

Sam sat in the uncomfortable boarding room chair and thought back to her conversation with Janet. Her best friend had agreed with what her father had said on the Prometheus, she deserved to love somebody and be loved in return. She didn't, however, agree that Jack was a "safe bet". Janet had told her that Jack was anything but safe, even if Sam's feelings for him kept others from hurting her.

"What do you think keeping your feelings for him secret is doing to you, Sam?" She had asked, "It's not exactly helping you any, is it?"

She had to admit that what Janet said was true, which was why she was having so much trouble with everything in the first place.

"I'm tired of coming home to an empty house, Jan." Sam had confessed, "I want somebody that I can hug, kiss, hell even touch without breaking rules. I'm tired of feeling this way ... I'm tired of being alone."

"Then do something about it," Janet had told her. "Find somebody, even if it's not Jack. Who knows, maybe in time you can forget him."

Sam didn't find that likely, but she decided that what her friend told her was good advice. Maybe if she did have somebody it would make things with Jack easier, maybe she could get over him. But how was she ever going to find somebody, she definitely wasn't going to go for another 'alien', all of those relationships had ended in death. Her "black widow" curse seemed to only effect those who didn't live on the planet earth. But she was never home and when she was she didn't exactly go places where she could meet a man ... unless she met him at the grocery store, and she didn't even go there often.

Sighing to herself she looked around for signs of her father. They had traveled to the Denver airport in order to fly to California, since the tickets from there were cheaper. Not seeing him anywhere near she decided to go searching for him, they would be boarding in less than fifteen minutes. Grabbing her jacket she stood and started to walk towards the coffee shop, figuring maybe he had talked Sel'mac into letting him have just one cup of joe.

After not finding him there she decided to check the gift shop. Oddly enough her father had told her Sel'mac enjoyed the novelty items found on earth and had a large collection of items in their quarters, which was probably one of the stranger things she had ever heard in her life.

Her suspicions were right; there he was looking through the snow globes. "Dad?" She asked, standing next to him. "Shopping for Sel'mac, I see."

He nodded, sighing. "Yeah ... the collection gets bigger and bigger every time I visit you."

She smiled, "Well, you'd better get something quick. The plane boards in ten minutes or so."

"Alright," he picked one off the shelf. "This one's good enough." Taking it to the counter they stood in line behind a man with a Denver PD windbreaker on. After he had paid for his magazine he turned to walk off and smiled at Sam as he did so, she smiled back, he was cute.

After Jacob paid for the snow globe the two hurriedly walked back to their terminal, getting there just as their plane boarded. Looking at her ticket she frowned, looked like she would be sitting in the middle seat. Glancing at her father she saw that he had the window seat, she was tempted to ask for a trade but figured that Sel'mac would enjoy the view and she would somehow manage to get the window seat on the way home.

When they got situated she found herself thankful that she didn't ask for her father for the window seat, that cute cop from the gift shop occupied the isle seat, right next to her.

"Hi," she said as she sat down in her seat, pulling her air force sweatshirt over her head.

"Hi," he replied, flashing a boyish grin. "I'm Pete."

She could feel herself smiling; "I'm Sam."

"Air force, huh?" He asked, motioning to her sweatshirt.

"Yeah ... police officer?"

"Detective," he corrected. "You?"

"Major," she replied.

He let out a low whistle, "Impressive."

She smiled, "Thanks, you too."

Jacob noticed them talking and leaned forward in his seat, looking at the detective named Pete. "Father..." he said, pointing at himself, a warning look in his eyes. "Air Force ... Major General."

She shot him an evil look then looked back at Pete. "Where you headed?"

"San Diego ... my friends birthday party."

"Really? I'm going there too, visiting my brother. It's his fortieth birthday."

The detective smiled, an eyebrow slowly creeping up his forehead. "Your brother wouldn't happen to be Mark Carter, would he?" he asked.

Sam's smile grew, "Yeah ... small world." They chatted for a few more minutes before the plane took off, then her father started to compete for her attention. She decided humor him and they began a conversation about Mark's sixtieth birthday party, when he crashed Jacob's truck. Halfway through the story she glanced over her shoulder at the cop and smiled when he caught her looking.

Who knew, maybe Janet was right? Maybe she could forget about Jack.

Maybe safe _wasn't _what she wanted after all.

**XXXX**

**A/N: Please, don't throw things, Pete isn't going to last long! I was just thinking that they never did establish how Pete and Sam met ... also, I have no idea which part of Cali her brother lives in (he does live in California, does he not?) or how old he is, so I just made those two up. Anyway, next chapter is going to skip ahead to present day. So ... anyway, please review. Feedback keeps me going!  
**


	2. The Reasons Why

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: The Reasons Why**

**Summary: She thought that, when she met Pete, things would finally be better for her...**

**Spoilers: Grace (again), The Lost City ... everything I guess.**

**Disclaimer: Well ... we've done this already, have we not? Check chapter one for it.**

**XXXX**

_She woke up in a cold sweat, screaming out his name and gasping for air, still shaking from the extreme realness of the recurring nightmare. _

_"Sam?" A gentle voice called out to her, "What's wrong? Did you have another dream?"_

_She nodded, although she knew he couldn't see her in the darkness. "Yeah..." she sighed, scooting over to where he was lying. _

_He had anticipated her arrival and wrapped his arms around her comfortingly, pulling her closer to him. "That's the third one this week, Sam," he stated. "Are you ok?"_

_She nodded into his chest, still shaking. "I'm fine."_

_"Sam," he said with a sigh. "We both know that's not true. Talk to me," he begged. "Please?"_

_She shook her head, "It's late ... we'll talk tomorrow."_

_"I can make it an order," he threatened. "Trust me, I will."_

_She ignored his threat and settled into his arms, "Go back to sleep," she said. "I'm fine, really. It's late, get some rest."_

_"Sam-" _

_"Jack ... we'll talk about it in the morning, ok? I'm tired ... I'll be fine."_

_"I'm gonna hold you to that," he said, kissing her on the forehead. "Sweet dreams," he whispered. _

_She sighed, "Let's hope."_

Sam jolted awake and out of sleep feeling confused, what a strange dream that had been. Sighing to herself she slid from under the covers and off of the bed, her feet hitting the soft carpet with a low "thud". She quickly and quietly began to walk across the room, hoping that she wouldn't wake Pete in the process.

"Sam?" His voice called out to her. She must have waken him when she got out of bed. Closing her eyes she silently cursed herself. She turned around to face him and put on a forced smile, just in case his eyes had already adjusted to the darkness, "Pete? I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Well ... yeah." He said, "You were talking in your sleep.

_Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit. _She thought to herself, "Oh?" She asked innocently, "What did I say?"

"I dunno, you were just mumbling something about a bad dream. Did you have a nightmare?"

She shook her head, "I don't remember." She lied.

"Where are you going?"

"Just to get something to drink," she explained. "I need to start getting ready for work anyway. I have a mission at 0700 hours, it's already half after 0400, and I need to be there by 0600 for a briefing with General O'Neill," she found herself cringing at the mention of the general. "You go back to sleep, it's early."

"Alright," he sighed. "Just ... be safe out there."

_Safe._ She winced, thankful that the darkness of the room could hide her doing so. Truth was, ever since her experience in the Prometheus the word always made her think of that damned conversation. She thought that when she met Pete things would finally be better for her, she had vainly hoped that everything she had ever felt for Jack would fade into the background when she found somebody new.

But, the exact opposite had occurred. Somehow, after she started to date Pete things with Jack had just grown more ... complicated. And, damn Daniel and Teal'c if they hadn't shown up that day at Jack's house...

...What was she thinking? She loved Pete; she was engaged to Pete, end of story. Jack was the CO of the SGC now; there was no way he would ever retire. Wait- why was she doing this to herself? These thoughts only made things even more confusing. That was exactly the last thing she needed in her life, more confusion.

As she turned her car on she thought back to that conversation she had with her "figment" Jack. She had already given it so much thought, but it never managed to go away completely, though she wished with all her might that it would, that the conversation had never happened in the first place. She had been content before then, even if she had been alone.

As she drove the bright diamond on her ring finger caught her eye; she studied it at a red light. It was beautiful, a sign of Pete's love for her, and her love from him. So, why did she think of Jack every time that she looked at it? How come every time she saw the diamond catch light she thought of the day she showed him the ring another man gave her? Why couldn't she get over him?

Pulling into the SGC's parking lot she noticed his new, black truck already in his designated parking spot. Hers was right next to it, CO and 2IC. That's all they would ever be...

She shook her head to rid herself of the thought, pulling in next to the large truck. She glanced over briefly, surprised when she saw him still sitting in it. Further examination showed that he was asleep. Smiling to herself she turned off her car, stepped out, and walked around to the drivers' side of his truck, tapping on the window.

He jolted awake, whipping his head around to look in her direction. "Carter?" He called through the closed door, "What ... where?" His brow furrowed as he realized that he was in his truck ... which was in the parking lot of the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, "Morning." He sighed, a sheepish smile appearing on his face.

She couldn't help but laugh, "Good morning, sir. Sleep well?"

She stepped back, allowing him to exit the truck. "Very well, actually." He told her, "Just catching a few extra minutes."

"Sure..." she said, nodding incredulously. "SG-1 has a briefing at 0700 hours, we have a mission to P9Q-771 at 0830."

"This I know, Carter," he said flashing the SF's his badge, Sam did the same. "I also have a debriefing with SG-2 and SG-4 at 1100 hours, a briefing with SG-12 at 2100 hours, and a mile high pile of paperwork to catch up on. Did I miss anything?"

She smiled, looking down at the ground as she walked. "Sorry, sir."

"Carter..." he said, "I was joking. Don't take everything I say so seriously ... in fact, don't take anything I say seriously." After thinking a moment something struck him and he backtracked, "Unless, of course, it's an order."

She laughed, "I'll keep that in mind, sir."

They rode the elevator down together, neither saying much, just the usual small talk. She found herself thinking about how they didn't talk as much as they used to now that she had met Pete. Neither one of them really had time for the other, she missed their conversations, even if it was normally him telling her to go home and get a life. Well, she had taken his advice, so why had things suddenly got weird?

She had finally built up the courage to ask him why they didn't talk anymore when the elevator reached its destination. He smiled at her and then as soon as the doors open exited the metal device and headed towards his office. Her courage suddenly disappeared, like it had never even existed, and she walked to her office with a sigh of disappointment.

She missed him. The thought came to her suddenly as she sat down in front of her desk. She missed the almost daily stops he made at her office, she missed having to warn him not to break her 'doohickeys', she even missed hearing him tell her to go home and get a life. She wanted that back, now that she actually had one. She wanted him back, even if it's not the same part of him she had wanted before and might still want on occasion, she wanted his friendship.

Feeling her courage build up again she left her office with haste, barely remembering to shut the door behind her. Just as she made it to his office door alarms went off and red lights began to flash. The familiar sound of Davis' voice came over the intercom, "Unauthorized off world activation! Unauthorized off world activation!"

She shut her eyes in frustration and ran off for the control room, hearing his office door open behind her. Telling herself not to look back she turned a corner and found herself bumping into the SGC's resident klutz, Daniel Jackson. The papers in his arms went flying and she went down, falling straight on her bottom. Another sigh of frustration escaped her lips as she pulled herself off the ground, shouting an apology to Daniel and an excuse for needing to get to the control room. The archeologist mumbled to himself and began picking up his papers, telling her to go and see what was happening. She thanked him and ran off.

She made it into the control room just as the iris swooshed open and the shimmering blue of the event horizon peaked through. "Who is it?" She questioned, standing next to General O'Neill, who was standing behind Davis.

"The Tok'ra," he answered. "Might be dad."

The event horizon rippled and a man and a woman stepped through. Jack had been correct, Jacob was the man, Sam was happy about that. But the next visitor left a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, it was Anise.

**XXXX**

"So," Jack greeted as he and Sam walked into the 'gate room. "To what do we owe this ..." he glanced over at Sam and leaned close to her, "honor, right? Them coming is an honor?" he whispered in her ear. She nodded, a smile spreading across her face.

"Yes sir." She whispered back, catching the sent of his cologne- a shiver passed down her spine. Jack nodded and straightened, looking back at the two Tok'ra.

"...Honor." He stated, finishing his previous sentence. Jacob shook his head in silent laughter while Anise didn't seem to understand what had just happened.

"The Tok'ra high council wishes to renegotiate," she informed them. "Where is General Hammond?"

"In Washington D.C. I assume." Jack shrugged, "Allow me to introduce myself. Brigadier General Jack O'Neill, CO of the SGC." He extended a hand to Jacob, "Pleased to meet you, old man."

He took his hand with a laugh, "Haven't looked in the mirror in awhile, have you? I believe that nearly all of your hair is gray now, Jack."

"Ah," he pointed out with a grin, "but at least I still have hair."

"This is true," Jacob said with a smile. "Congratulations on your promotion, General O'Neill."

Anise was silent, her eyes trained on Sam who then realized that she was still standing only inches from General O'Neill. She casually stepped closer to her father, creating a gap between them. The female Tok'ra seemed satisfied and looked at Jack.

"I give you my congratulations, also. But what we have come to speak of is important."

"Of course it is," Jack said. "Follow me," he began to walk to the briefing room, indicating to Sam with a look that she could stay behind for a minute and speak with her father in private. Sam smiled at him in a silent thank you and turned to her father.

"It's been so long," she sighed, stepping forward and hugging him tightly. He returned the favor.

"I know, Sammie. I tried to get them to reconsider breaking off our alliance, it took a little longer that I thought it would."

"Well," she sighed, pulling back. "At least you're back now. I wish we had more time, we have so much to talk about."

Jacob's eyes fell on her left hand, and the large stone that sat on her ring finger. "I'd say so." He looked back at her, "Who?"

"Later," she told him. "Right now, we've got something important to speak of."

"It wasn't my idea to have her tag along, it was the high councils." He shrugged, "Trust me, even Sel'mac tried arguing with them. They were very adamant in their decision."

"Yeah, well, I can only wonder why she would want to tag along." She sighed, "Not that it's any of my business." She smiled and looked down at the ring on her finger, "I'm happy dad ... really." She wasn't sure if she was trying to convince him or herself.

"Like you said, later." He started to walk out of the room and she followed, they had a long and interesting briefing ahead of them.

**XXXX**

"So," Jack said when Sam and Jacob sat at the briefing room table, Teal'c and Daniel were already sitting in their usual spots. Sam took her place as 2IC and sat on the right side of Jack, while Jacob sat directly across from her on the left. Jack smiled at the strange look that Jacob gave his daughter when she took her seat. "Colonel," he addressed Sam. Jacob's eyes moved from Jack and he stared at his daughter.

"Colonel?" He asked, a smile spreading across his face. "Since when?"

"It's been a couple of months," she said with a smile. "When the general got his promotion I got one ... they kind of caught me off guard." She smiled at Jack; "It was a shock, to say the least."

"Well," he said with a shrug. "Major isn't a good rank if you're going to be second in command of an entire facility, now is it? And we weren't about to bring somebody else in- which is a good thing about being a general." He smiled at Sam; "You can do anything you want ... you know, as long as it's not breaking any rules."

"As much as we're enjoying this conversation," Daniel pointed out. "There is something that we need to talk about, is there not?"

Anise smiled at Daniel, "Indeed there is. The Tok'ra high council has reconsidered the break in the Tok'ra/Tauri alliance. We wish to once again join earth in the fight against the Goa'uld, in the hopes that more can be accomplished in that way."

"Not as strong as you thought, eh?" Jack mumbled, Sam and Jacob were the only two that heard him.

Jacob's eyes flashed and Sel'mac took over, "I, too, give you both congratulations. However, as Anise has said the Tok'ra wish to once again be allied with you ... the high council would like an answer on the matter as soon as possible."

"If I may inquire as to what gave you such a change of heart," Jack said, earning strange looks from the members of SG-1. "What?" He asked. They all just shook their heads.

"That is a good question, General O'Neill." Sel'mac said. "Jacob and I have been suggesting to the high council for quiet some time now that they rethink their decision to break our alliance. Last month we went on a mission, a spy among Ba'al's ranks. While we were aboard one of his mother ships we overheard two of his Jaffa speaking of an attack on the Tok'ra home world. It was very fortunate that we learned of this when we did, it allowed us to move a little at a time. But, the high council realized after that that we would have known of Ba'al's intended attack long before a month had we still be allied with you, perhaps even the Jaffa-"

Teal'c raised his head and looked over at Sel'mac, "Has the council reconsidered an alliance with the rebel Jaffa?"

"Not at this time," Anise informed him. "But we are currently working on it. However, once the high council sees that we need the Tauri they will realize that, as you need the rebel Jaffa, so do the Tok'ra."

"So, it's like a ripple effect?" Daniel speculated, "By being your allies once again we'd pave the way for the Tok'ra and the Jaffa to reconsider?"

Sel'mac nodded, "Indeed."

"Alright," Jack said with a sigh. "We'll need to discuss this ... alone, without you two here."

"We figured as much," Sel'mac assured him. "We are prepared to return to the Tok'ra's new home world."

"How will we be in contact with you?" Sam asked, looking at Sel'mac.

"We will return to earth in twenty four hours," Anise told her.

"Not much time," Daniel mused out loud.

Sel'mac's eyes flashed, Jacob was in control again. "No, Daniel. It's not. But, that is the amount of time that the high council has allowed us. There's nothing more we can do about it."

Jack sighed, rubbing the nape of his neck. "I should get in touch with the President then."

"What are you going to suggest he do?" Jacob asked, standing up.

"I honestly don't know," Jack confessed, standing up as well. "It is ultimately his decision, though."

"You do that then," Jacob said. "We'll show ourselves out. We know the way."

"I'll go with you," Sam offered, taking them out of the briefing room. Jack glanced from Daniel to Teal'c.

"Well, what do you guys think?"

"I believe that rejoining forces with the Tok'ra would be the wisest choice, O'Neill," Teal'c offered. "We have an advantage when working with them that we do not have alone." He tilted his head, "And I agree with Anise, by becoming allies with the Tok'ra once a-gain it will allow the rebel Jaffa to join forces with them as well."

"Daniel?" Jack asked, looking over at him.

"I agree with Teal'c."

He sighed, "I figured as much. I should go call the POTUS then."

"What is a Potus?" Teal'c asked, an eyebrow climbing up his forehead.

"It's an abbreviation, Teal'c." Daniel explained, "POTUS, President of the United States. Kind of like SGC stands for Stargate Command or USA stands for the United States of America."

Teal'c nodded and stood from the table, "I require nourishment, DanielJackson."

"Yeah ... I could use some coffee myself, let's go to the commissary." The two walked off and Jack was alone, left with the task of making one of the most important phone calls ever.

"Well," he said to himself as he walked into his office. "This is going to be a walk in the park, a piece of cake, and day at the beach all rolled into one."

Why did he take this position again?

**XXXX**

**A/N: Alright, now that I've done my job you do your job. Which is reviewing, of course.**


	3. Major Discussions

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: Major Discussions**

**Summary: ...So the earth wasn't in danger, nobody was dying, and the 'gate wasn't about to self-destruct. He simply wanted her there with him for the negotiations between the Tauri and the Tok'ra...  
**

**Spoilers: Everything so far, mostly things from Season 7 and 8 (up to reckoning)  
**

**Disclaimer: The show doesn't belong to me, the characters (all of them so far, I think) don't either. It's kind of sad, but I don't mind. **

**XXXX**

Jack had spent twenty-five minutes explaining the situation to the president before the question he had been waiting for was finally asked, "You're not being too credulous in believing all of what these Tok'ra say, are you, O'Neill? Can you trust them undoubtedly?"

"Yes sir, I can. Jacob wouldn't lie about this," he assured the president. "We can trust him."

"And this Anise," he continued. "Is she trustworthy?"

Jack thought very carefully about his answer, "On matters this important, yeah. She is too, sir."

"Well," Hayes inquired, "what is your suggestion?"

Jack sighed; that was the second question that he had been waiting for. "To tell you the truth sir, I am still undecided on the issue. I'd like to know more about why they reconsidered, but I can believe their story, and since it came from who it did it just makes it all the more believable. Both Doctor Jackson and Teal'c have speculated that by realigning with the Tok'ra it will ultimately bring them back together with the rebel Jaffa, and with an alliance of all three our chances of defeating the Goa'uld increases greatly." He paused to catch his breath and give the president a chance to intervene, when he didn't Jack continued. "I'm inclined to agree with them, also the Tok'ra are very valuable to us, even if they do not reconsider the Jaffa. We do need them, sir. Even though I don't like to admit it, we're better off having their eyes and ears amongst the Goa'uld and relaying information to us. We can't win this war on our own. It would be foolish to think that we could."

"Well, after thinking this over I have to agree with you. It is in the best interest of earth that we join forces with the Tok'ra again. If we can get them to do the same with the rebel Jaffa we can give the Goa'uld a run for their money, but there's no way we could do it on our own."

There was a knock at the door and it creaked open, Sam stuck her head inside, and Jack waved her in. "Yes, sir. They're very important in the grand scheme of things."

"When the Tok'ra make contact with the SGC again find out the specifics of the alliance, relay them to me, and then we'll give them a decision before they have to leave." The president sighed, "I guess I'll be talking with you later."

"Yes sir, I'll call as soon as I know." He held up a finger to Sam, letting her know he would be done soon, and went back to the conversation. "I am sure their terms won't have changed much, if they have at all."

"Let's hope," Hayes replied. "Goodbye then, General."

"Goodbye Mr. President, sir. Take care." When the other line clicked Jack hung up and turned to Sam, "Anything I can do for you, Carter?"

"Well ... sir," she replied nervously. "I was kind of wondering if we could talk- over lunch. That is, if you're not too busy, sir."

"Nope," he said, shaking his head. "Not anymore. Let's go."

**XXXX**

"So," he asked when they sat down at a table in the oddly empty commissary. "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

She began to play with her blue Jell-O; "It's about dad." Looking up from the table she continued, "So much has changed since the last time I saw him ... I started dating Pete-"

Jack felt a pang of jealously in the pit of his stomach, but he continued to listen. It had been a long time since they had talked, and he wasn't sure they had ever talked like this. He wasn't gong to jeopardize her newfound openness.

"-We defeated Anubus..." She looked back down at the table, twisting the engagement ring around her finger. "Your being frozen in the Antarctic and then finding Atlantis." A smile spread across her face and she looked back up, "Teal'c got hair-"

He smiled back at her, "I think he probably noticed that already."

"Yeah ... but he hasn't seen the pictures from when it was first growing." A devious smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "The one's Teal'c didn't even know I took. Anyway, back to the subject. There are our promotions, which he knows about now, but not all the details. Everything with 'The Trust' and then Pete proposing-"

There was that jealous feeling again. He pushed it aside and forced a smile, listening to her prattle on about all the things she would have to tell her father about. After nearly ten minutes she calmed herself down, "I'm boring you aren't I?"

He shook his head, "Not at all." In fact, it was the exact opposite. He could watch her talk technobabble all day and not once nod off- although, he would never let her know so- and this was far more interesting than technobabble.

She stared at him incredulously, "Anyway, moving on. What did the president have to say about Dad and Anises' drop by?"

Something in him was thankful for the change in subject; the last thing he wanted to hear about was her growing relationship with Pete and how her father was going to feel about it. After all, nobody had known she was dating him until almost two months into their relationship, and the Tok'ra had already cut off all ties to earth by then. But then again, it had been a long time since they'd had a meaningful conversation, and he wasn't sure they had ever had such an open discussion, he enjoyed it, even if the subject was Pete. He missed having her as a friend. He missed that most of all.

"Well," he explained, "he's a little skeptical, but who can blame him? I trust Jacob completely and even I'm a bit wary of their reasoning. I convinced him that we can trust your father on anything and Anise for the most part," he was surprised by the flash of emotion in Sam's eyes. Was it ... no, she couldn't be jealous of Anise- why would she be jealous of Anise? "...He still wants us to find out more about their terms of rekindling our friendship, but I was already planning on doing so myself. I doubt that anything will have changed, they'll probably just want to go back to the way things were."

Sam sighed, "It seems like they're taking us for granted, doesn't it? Like they only want our help when they need it and not the other way around."

He stared at her in shock, "Wow ... that was unexpected." Sam actually said something negative about the Tok'ra.

She tried to stifle a grin but her efforts were to no avail. "I should probably get back to work, sir. Pete and I are going out to dinner tonight and I want to be home on time." Standing up she grabbed her Jell-O from the table, "I'll see you later, sir."

"Yeah. Go ... run ... experiment." He smiled, "Have fun."

"You know me, sir." she replied with another grin. Somebody up there must like him, he thought, because she was smiling a lot lately. It had been awhile since he had seen her smile this much ... and it wasn't even because of Pete, which was a major plus.

As she walked off he went back to his previous thoughts. He missed having her as a friend, ever since the za'tarc incident they didn't talk much, even more so since she started to date Pete. Above all, he wanted her to know that no matter what he would always be her friend, that he would always be there for her. If he couldn't have the part of her that he really wanted he would have to settle for friendship, and it looked as if they were working towards that again. At least, he hoped so.

**XXXX**

She had managed to tear herself away from her newest experiment at a quarter 'til 1900; her dinner reservations with Pete were at 2000 so she would have to rush with getting ready. After talking her way out of a speeding ticket she made it to the restaurant at 1958, no doubt Pete would already be there waiting on her. A chubby waiter brought her over to his table and hung around to get their drink orders, he ordered a beer and she just opted for a diet soda.

"You're improving," he said with a grin, after the waiter had left.

Confusion stepped in, "On what?"

"Tardiness, Samantha. You were actually on time tonight."

She could feel her cheeks flushing, "I almost didn't make it on time. I had to speed ... got pulled over."

"You got a ticket?" he asked, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"No," a grin stretched across her face, "as soon as I explained that I was late meeting my fiancée-who happened to be a Denver detective- for dinner he let me go with a warning." A devious look passed through her eyes, "That, and I flashed him some cleavage."

He didn't reply and his face turned ashen.

She couldn't help laughing, "I'm just kidding!" she exclaimed, her own eyes dancing with laughter. "You're so gullible."

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah ... I guess."

The atmosphere around them turned thick and silence manifested. After playing with the straw in her soda for a minute or so she looked up at him, "I saw my dad today."

"Oh?" He asked, "How is he doing?"

She debated telling him about her father being a Tok'ra, but decided against it. Pete knew nothing of the Tok'ra, all he had the clearance for was Orisis, and she wasn't sure that he would understand the difference between the Tok'ra and the Goa'uld. "He's fine."

"Where did you see him at?" he inquired, taking a sip of his beer.

Her throat became scratchy; Pete's cop nature was digging. "...Work."

"Really?" He asked, thinking things over in his mind. "He has clearance for the SGC?"

Nodding, she continued her explanation, "For a couple years now ... almost as long as I've been working there. With his military background it didn't take him long to figure out that space-radar telemetry wasn't what I was spending all my time working on, especially when I turned down work at NASA."

"So..." he gave her an incredulous look, "you just told him?"

She shook her head, "No, I could never do that. It's ... classified, Pete. I really can't tell you."

"Does this have something to do with your fathers miraculous recovery from cancer?" Pete asked, not willing to let the subject drop.

"No," she lied. "Pete you know that I can't talk about anything work related. You're lucky that you know what little you do."

He snorted, "Yeah ... lucky."

Sam opened her mouth to ask him what the hell that was supposed to mean but a figure to her left caught her attention. She turned towards him, disbelief in her eyes. "What are you doing here, sir?"

O'Neill shifted his weight from one foot to the other nervously. "I tried your cell ... it was off. Cassie said you'd probably be here. Something's come up at work." Through the whole explanation he looked past her shoulder, his hands jammed into the pockets of his brown bomber jacket. "I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner ... but we really need you."

"Well," Pete started, "she's a little busy" the rest of his fit went unnoticed to the other two at the table.

Jack finally managed to look her in the eyes; he was startled by what he saw. Fear. She was worried about her father, or maybe the fate of the planet, with his cryptic explanation anything could have gone wrong. The look didn't last long, once she realized that he could see her worry it was replaced with the cold façade of an Air Force Colonel. Her blue eyes locked with his brown ones and through a silent conversation he assured her that everything was ok, it wasn't as bad as she thought. Nodding with relief she began to scoot out of the booth she was sitting in.

Pete stopped in the middle of his rant to stare at Sam with surprise. "Sam...?" he questioned.

"I'm sorry Pete," she told him. "But, I have to go."

Jack picked up her coat from the side of the booth and helped her into it, "I promise I'll do my best to have her back to you by midnight." He said, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Sam picked up her purse and gave Pete a chaste kiss on the cheek, "I'll see you later."

"Bye, hon." Pete said quietly as he watched them walk out together. He threw some money on the table to pay for the drinks and a slight tip, then grabbed his own jacket and headed out of the restaurant to his SUV just in time to see her silver Volvo and his black truck leaving. A stab of jealously ran through his veins, was this how their life was going to be? Work first, him second?

Would **he** _always_ interrupt to take her away from him?

Would she _always_ pack up and go? Just like that, with no questions asked?

He felt like he was the other man, hell not even that. With that geek Daniel character and that freak of nature Jaffa thing he would always be the fourth on her list of important people.

Was _that_ really what he wanted?

Could he settle for that?

**XXXX**

He hadn't explained anything to her when they left the restaurant. Instead he had gone straight to his truck and instructed her to follow him back to the SGC. Her mind was still racing with the different scenarios, some wanna-be-bad-ass Goa'uld was threatening earth, some kind of system malfunction in the 'gate, somebody was injured badly and this would be her last chance to say good-bye.

No, it couldn't be those things. The look that the general had given her in the restaurant was very distinct; there was nothing-major wrong. Perhaps her father and Anise had just returned early and the Tok'ra wanted to get the discussions over with ASAP.

After five minutes of driving she could take it no longer, she rummaged through her car at a red light and found her cell-phone. It was turned off. She pushed the power button and waited for it to power-up, then pressed number one on her speed-dial. He answered at the first ring.

"Took you long enough," he said with a sigh.

"What's wrong," she demanded. "...Sir."

"Relax, Carter. It's not anything horrible."

"Well, then?" She asked, annoyance starting to take over.

"Jacob and Anise just showed up a bit early is all. Guess the Tok'ra high council is a little anxious for our help."

"Doesn't this worry you, sir?" She asked, turning on her blinker and following his truck as it veered to the left.

"Yes, Carter, it does." He explained," That's why I need you there."

"I don't understand," she confessed. She wasn't a diplomat, why would he have to have her there?

"I'm not sure about how easily he could lie to me, but it would be pretty damn hard for dad to lie to you."

"So, what, I'm like a human lie detector?"

He sighed, "That and I really don't like to be around Anise without some kind of body-guard."

She couldn't help but laugh, "What about Teal'c, sir?"

"I prefer having a female body-guard, thank you very much. It seems to be more effective with her."

"Well, I'm honored, sir." They pulled into the first checkpoint for access to the Cheyenne Mountain complex. "I'll see you at the SGC then."

"Right," he said. Then the line went dead.

She threw her phone into the passengers seat with a sigh, so the earth wasn't in danger, nobody was dying, and the 'gate wasn't about to self-destruct. He simply wanted her there with him for the negotiations between the Tauri and the Tok'ra.

She wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing that that excited her.

**XXXX**

**A/N: I'm not sure what the reasoning is for the 2IC of the base, but the way I worked it out was that SG-1 is the flagship team and right under the General in the chain of command. Since Sam is the leader of SG-1 she's 2IC of the base... it may be wrong, but I really don't know how it works so I made something up for myself.  
Please review!  
**


	4. Changes

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: Changes**

**Summary: "Do you?" Jacob asked. "Love him? Do you really? Or, do you simply love the fact that _he_ loves you."**

**Spoilers: Major spoilers for "Grace"**

**Disclaimer: The show's not mine and neither are the characters. I make no cash profit from writing, only reviews :)**

**XXXX **

When they met up in the briefing room nearly ten minutes later Jack was relieved, she didn't look worried any longer and add on to it the fact that as far as he could tell she didn't seem too upset at the fact that her romantic diner with her fiancé was disrupted, and things were good. He had been worried about her not coming, or Pete telling her she couldn't. Jack didn't think Sam would have listened to Pete if he had ordered her to stay, but Jack might have said something to the man if he had tried to tell her what to do, and it wouldn't have been anything particularly nice. That hadn't been the case, however, although Jack had seen a bit of anger in the man's eyes at the fact that she had left so quickly- without any other reason than him asking her to do so.

He sat down in his usual chair at the head of the table and she sat directly next to him, on the right. Jacob sat across from his daughter, to Jack's left. Round one; body guard. Freya looked a bit dismayed at the seating arrangements, but her eyes flashed and Anise took over, taking a seat next to Daniel, a smug smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Jack and Sam exchanged looks, and smiled themselves. It wasn't a secret that Anise was attracted to Daniel- even the archeologist himself knew it, and looked a little uncomfortable at the knowledge.

Teal'c sat down across from Daniel, next to Sam, and looked over at Jack with a nod of his head. They were already to begin the briefing. Jack looked to Jacob, "I assume you're here because the Tok'ra high council got a little impatient and couldn't wait any longer to hear our decision."

Jacob, in turn, nodded. "You are correct in your assumption. Have you decided yet?"

Jack nodded, "But, before I let you know what our decision is, there are a few things that I need to ask you." He glanced at Anise/Freya, whichever one it was, "You, too."

The Tok'ra woman seemed to perk at that statement and Sam found herself holding back an annoyed snort. _Don't give your hopes up, sweetie,_ she thought, surprised by her own jealousness. Jack didn't care for Freya, Sam knew as much, but why was she getting so worked up by the looks that the Tok'ra was giving him? She was engaged to Pete, and the looks would never be received, anyway. Not that such was the point, though. Her involvement with another man was. Right. Pete.

The general looked at Sam and she took it as her cue to take over. Round two; lie detector. "What are the terms of our alliance?"

Both had been expecting the question, so neither was phased by it. "We would share intelligence on any Goa'uld's and there current whereabouts. New Goa'uld technology and machinery, as well as any knowledge you obtain from a captured Goa'uld and vice versa. The same as our agreement before."

Sam nearly rolled her eyes at the woman, then realized that she was behaving like a child. Or, worse, a love-struck teenager. "What about missions? Do we let each other know about when or if we plan on infiltrating a certain Goa'uld's ranks?"

Selmak chose to answer that particular question, "That is one thing that the Tok'ra have been discussing at great lengths. It is no secret that in the past we have kept things hidden from the Tau'ri, and you have kept things hidden from us. What lead us here today is not knowing something that we would have, had we still been allied with you, the Tau'ri. It is something that has been a matter of great concern, in the past. However, we now know enough to trust that those among the Tau'ri warriors can keep our agendas a secret, even if it means their death. So, yes, we would tell each other of our missions."

She glanced over at Jack, they hadn't expected Selmak to do the talking, most of the time Jacob did when they were on earth. Sam wasn't sure how good Selmak would be at lying to her, but she did know that the host and the symbiote shared their feelings, so maybe the guilt would be too much for the Tok'ra as well. "And my father agrees with this?" she questioned. You can _never_ be too careful.

Jacob's eyes flashed and he was once again in control, "Yeah, I do. He's telling you the truth, Sam. We want to share everything. There's no way we can defeat the Goa'uld if we don't trust each other enough to let the other know what we're doing."

That was true enough. Jack and Sam shared another look and the general nodded his head, content that Jacob wouldn't lie to his daughter about something this important. At least, he was hoping that the man wouldn't. They continued on with their questions, asking things that pretty much already knew the answer to, just to gauge the reaction of her father. When they were both satisfied that the answers were the truth Jack gave them their answer.

"The president has agreed that an alliance with the Tok'ra is in the best interest of the Tau'ri." Jack informed the two, after nearly an hour and a half of questions.

Jacob only smiled at the fact that they had been held in the briefing room for 80 minutes to find out what they had, for the most part, already known. "The Tok'ra High Council will be pleased to hear that."

"Do you have to leave right away?" Sam asked. The two still hadn't gotten much of a chance to talk, and there was plenty to talk about.

He shook his head, "We still have a bit of time... you wanna grab a bite to eat?"

Sam looked over at her CO, her gaze questioning. Jack nodded, causing Sam to smile. "Yeah, that sounds great."

After throwing him a thankful look she and her father left the room, headed for the commissary. They got their food quickly and sat down at an empty table, dwelling in the silence for a few moments. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, but was only a few seconds, he spoke up.

"Who's the lucky man?"

She looked down at her ring for a brief moment, "Peter Shannahan. You know, Mark's cop friend from Denver? You met him at Mark's fortieth birthday party a year or so back."

Jacob nodded; he remembered the man. He also remembered that he hadn't really _liked_ the cop from Denver, and that Selmak had absolutely detested him. That was the last thing he was going to say to his daughter, though. She didn't need to know he didn't like her choice of men- even if he thought it was a mistake for her to have even started dating him. "Are you happy?" he questioned. That's what mattered the most, right? Her happiness.

His daughter nodded, smiling lightly, as if she was trying to convince him by a look. "I am, Dad. Pete is wonderful and he loves me."

"Is that why you're marrying him? Because he loves you?"

Sam stared at him blankly for a second, unsure of where this conversation was leading. Not wanting to go where she thought it was. Sighing, she plunged head first into the chaos. "_And_, because I love him."

"Do you?" Jacob asked. "Love him? Do you really? Or, do you simply love the fact that _he_ loves you."

Well, wasn't this a nice conversation between a father and his daughter after being apart for nearly a year. Oh yeah, she could just tell he missed her. "Of course I do, dad. I wouldn't have said yes otherwise."

"Sure you would have," Jacob chided. "You said yes to Jonas."

"That was _different_."

"Yeah, Jonas was an ass. But, that's the only difference here, isn't it?"

"No," Sam told him, feeling anger rise in her throat. "It's not."

"He's not right for you Sam." Jacob told her, sensing her change in emotions. "He's not good enough."

"How do you know that?" she said through gritted teeth. "You've barely even met him."

"In case you didn't know it, Sam, you're my _daughter_," he informed her. "That makes me your _father_, and trust me, father's know these things. It comes with the job." Her expression softened and he felt her anger melting away, so he reached over the table and took hold of her hand. "I love you, Sam, and I want you to be happy. If this guy, Pete, makes you happy,_ truly _happy, then I'll back down. But, I don't think that he does."

"How can you say that?" she questioned. "You only found out a second ago."

"Like I said, Sam... I'm your father. I know these things."

"Dad, I _am_ happy."

He shook his head, "You deserve to love someone. Not just to be loved. It doesn't work that way. There can't be just one side to a relationship." He sighed, squeezing her hand lightly. "Maybe you've got somebody to call your own, somebody who you know loves and wants to spend their life with you. Your content with you life now because you think that as long as you're not alone things are better than they were. But you are, Sam... you're alone. Coming home to Pete at the end of the day and wearing that ring on your finger isn't going to change that. Until you find somebody that can love you as much as _you_ love them, you'll always be alone."

She shook her head, "How can you say that Pete and I don't have that? That I don't love him as much as he loves me? There's no way you can know."

Jacob sighed and scooted his chair closer to her, taking both of her hands in his. "For as long as she was alive, your mother showed me a world beyond just ambition and career. She gave my life meaning and balance, and it was my honor to love her for the short time that she was with me. And if I were young again, and I met her for the first time, even knowing her fate. I would do it all over again. _That_ is love."

She fought back the tears forming in her eyes, was it just her mind playing tricks on her, or had she heard all of this before? Jacob continued, "Sam, I know you have denied yourself the experience because you think it must inevitably end in pain and loneliness... And it has, every time before. But when it's right, when he is right, you'll know."

"That easy?" she asked, trying to hold back years of built up frustration.

He shook his head, "I didn't say it would be easy."

Sam didn't reply.

"When it all comes down to it, Samantha... Pete is nothing more than a safe bet. As long as you're with him, somebody who you know loves you and will be there for you to fall back on, there's no chance you can get hurt by somebody else. You deserve more than that."

"Dad, I–" Sam didn't get the chance to finish saying what she wanted to, because Anise walked into the commissary, inconspicuously followed by two airmen acting as if they were only coming in to get a drink, and not to watch the Tok'ra, and made her way over to the table. Ignoring the intimate look and feel of their conversation. She probably didn't even realize that it was a father/daughter thing, then again, she probably did; just didn't care.

"The Tok'ra High Council is expecting us any minute, Jacob."

Sam sighed, her chin falling to her chest, and her eyes closing in frustration. She needed him with her, damn it. He was_ her_ father, first and foremost. Jacob sensed her unease and tightened the hold on her hands.

"Walk with me?"

She nodded and the two abandoned their table and their food, she could come by to clean it later, and headed out of the commissary, a good distance ahead of Anise. Jacob draped his arm around her shoulder comfortingly and she leaned into his embrace as she walked, needing this assurance from her father. Damn it, that was not the way that conversation was supposed to go. That was not the way that conversation had gone, in her head, at least. Why couldn't he have said all the things that she remembered him saying on the Prometheus? She could have lived with that conversation- anything but what had just happened.

When they entered the 'Gate room she noticed that he was standing behind the glass of the control room, waiting for them to arrive. Anise was still a couple of steps behind so she took the opportunity to say a few things to her father without having anybody around to hear it.

"I'm afraid, Dad," she confessed. "I don't know what to do."

"Sure you do," he said with a reassuring smile, placing his hand over her heart. "In here. Give it some time, it will come to you."

Without notice he hugged her close to him, doing his best to comfort her and let her know that he wasn't trying to be a commanding father, telling her what to do. He just wanted her to be happy. She deserved so much more than what she had. She deserved love.

"So," she asked, still holding tight to him. "What now?"

"Tell him," he whispered, as the embarkation room door slid open again, revealing Anise. Sam pulled away from her father, wiping away a stubborn tear, and smiled lightly. Davis started up the 'Gate and within seconds her father was walking up the ramp. He stopped before he went through, turned to look at her, and gave her a genuine smile, then he stepped through the event horizon and was gone.

With a heavy sigh she left the room and headed for her own office, her conversation with her father buzzing in her mind, still fresh and vivid. God, why did things always have to turn complicated just when she thought she was getting her life back together? Did the universe have something against her? Why could she never be happy?

No. Not happy. _Content_. Her father had told her that she wasn't truly happy, only satisfied with the way her life was working out. Was that the truth? Was she really only content with her relationship with Pete?

And, tell who? Her father hadn't specified who she should tell, and what she should tell him. Did he mean for her to tell Pete that she couldn't be with him any longer, or for her to tell Jack how she felt? That had been who he was talking about during the whole conversation, right? Jack? Were her feelings for him really that obvious? Hadn't she been hiding them good enough?

Which one was the safe bet- Jack... or Pete?

**XXXX**

**A/N: Well, I watched the conversation between Sam and Jacob during Grace like five times, to get a feel for it in order to flip it around and turn it the opposite way. Then I watched the part between Jack and Sam and tied that in here, as well. If you look hard enough you'll find many references to that particular episode in Jacob and Sam's conversation in the commissary. In fact, I took the part about her mother word-for-word, because I thought it was just too beautiful to take apart.**

**Anyway, let me know what'cha think about it!**


	5. A Helping Hand

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: A Helping Hand**

**Summary: **"**Every plan I had for my life went so unbelievably wrong," she finally confessed, her eyes downcast, looking anywhere but at him. **

**Spoilers: Um... none for this chapter, I think.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine**

**A/N: Ok... first of all. If you find something wrong with my story and would like to bring me up on it, please leave an e-mail address or at least something other than "anonymous" so I can try and explain things to you. I hate having long A/N's... and well, now I'm going to have to. Second of all, please make sure your correct in your corrections, because otherwise it makes you look bad, not me. One of my favorite episodes is Divide and Conquer, and I was already 99 certain who was who in the Anise/Freya situation, but when I got the review I went to Tvtome to make sure, and well... I was right. Anise likes Daniel, Freya likes Jack. Anise is the symbiote, Freya is the host. Not the other way around. And, thirdly, yeah... maybe I did write Infirmary a few times (all of what? 2 or 3) instead of commissary, but trust me, I grew up in a military family, I know the difference. They were simple typos, and if you had been paying attention, you would have seen that I started off calling it the commissary, but for some reason switched. I fixed it anyway, so it doesn't matter any longer. Sorry to those who really didn't have to read this and did... on with the story, eh?**

**XXXX**

After her father left she headed straight for her office. She needed time alone, to think. It seemed like she had been doing a lot of that lately. The biggest thing on her mind, at the moment, was the last thing her father had said to her. _"Tell him,"_ how ambiguous could he get? Tell who? She guessed she could always ask him what he meant by his statement when he returned to earth three days later. But the wait would kill her...

He had done this on purpose, making the statement open to interpretation was a strategical move on his part. Her father had left out who because he wanted her to decide for herself– who to tell and what to tell them. The only bad thing about his plan, she had no clue what she felt and how to figure things out, so forget having a heart-to-heart with anybody. She slid her key-card into it's slot and the door to her office opened with a hiss. Closing the door behind her, she sunk into the nearest chair, bringing her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her knees. God, how could she be so confused? This was her life, her feelings, how could she not know what was going on?

Her mind traveled back to the conversation she and her father had only minutes prior. _"Do you?"_ he had asked of her. _"Love him? Do you really? Or, do you simply love the fact that _he_ loves you."_Sam had argued with him, telling him that she did love Pete, she truthfully did. But, was that really the case? Did she love him? Or was her father right– she was only keeping him around because he loved her, and she wanted somebody to do so?

A frustrated groan escaped her lips and she buried her face in her knees. _"Of course I do, dad. I wouldn't be marrying him oterwise."_

"_Sure you would. You said yes to Jonas."_

Sam scowled to herself, of course her father would have brought that mistake up. Yeah, ok– she had made a bad decision when she agreed to marry Hanson, but she had leaned from her past, hadn't she? She wouldn't have made the same mistake twice, would she have? _"...when it's right, when he's right, you'll know."_

That was the hook, line, and sinker, wasn't it? Her father had told her that she would know the right man when she found him... so, this confusion meant what? Pete wasn't right for her? _"That easy?"_

"_I didn't say it would be easy."_

Sighing heavily she leaned back in t he chair, tilting it backwards to where it was only standing on it's hind two legs. She rested her knees against her desk for support and closed her eyes, deep in thought. So far into her mind, that when the door to her office opened she didn't notice, nor did she hear the footsteps caused by somebody walking inside. However, when a voice called out to her, her attention was grabbed and she nearly fell backwards in her chair, but at the last moment grabbed her desk to steady herself. She glared over at who had interrupted her, coming face to face with Daniel.

"What?" she barked, wincing at the harshness of her own voice . "I'm sorry... Daniel. Do you need something?"

He shook his head, "You ran off as soon as your father left... are you ok?"

No. I'm confused as hell and have no idea where my life is going or who it's going with. "Yeah, Daniel. I'm fine. Why?" she gritted her teeth and forced a smile.

Daniel glare was scrutinizing, and Sam squirmed under his intense gaze. Shit, he didn't buy it. "Sam are you sure you're ok? You looked a bit out of it when I came in... you didn't even hear the door open. That's not like you. What's wrong?"

She pursed her lips and leaned forward in her chair, resting her elbows on her desk and her face in her hands. "I don't know Daniel... I'm just so confused."

"Confused about what?" he asked, pulling up a chair by hers and reaching out to touch her arm. "What is it? You can tell me, Sam... you know that."

Sam looked up at him, her eyes dark and filled with confusion or uncertainty, maybe both. "It's dad... he said something and I just don't know what to do or think about it." She sighed in frustration, "Everything is just so complicated."

"What's complicated?" he inquired, searching her eyes for some sort of answer that she wasn't giving him.

"It's abo–" footfall cut her sentence short and she looked towards the entrance of the room, a frown forming on her face. "Can I help you with something, sir?" she questioned, turning her attention from Daniel to him.

General O'Neill shook his head much like Daniel had, but entered her office nonetheless. "You... uh... looked a bit upset when your father left. Is there something bothering you?"

Wow. This was a change. He was actually coming to her to have a real conversation, rather than avoiding her like the plague. Which, had been the case ever since she had accepted Pete's proposal. "No sir, I'm fine... just a bit tired, is all. Is there anything else?"

Daniel looked at her surprised, then turned his attention back to Jack, who shrugged in response. "No, Carter... that's all I guess."

"Thank you for your concern, sir. But, I'm fine."

The look on his face plainly told her that he didn't buy a word coming out of her mouth, but since Daniel was there he wasn't going to argue with her. He smiled lightly and left the room, leaving Daniel the job of figuring out what it was that was bothering her– knowing that the man would fill him in if need be. When Jack left Daniel turned to Sam, "What were you going to say, Sam?"

She shook her head, "Nothing... it's nothing."

God... love. Damn it, there was no way that there was nothing bothering her. Why couldn't she just tell him? "Sam... please don't lie to me. I know there's something wrong." he reached out to touch his arm again, and she looked up at him, her eyes betraying her calm and collected air force persona.

"_I'm afraid, Dad. I don't know what to do."_

"Every plan I had for my life went so unbelievably wrong," she finally confessed, her eyes downcast, looking anywhere but at him. "I had always imagined myself married and with children long before this point in my life... you know, the perfect husband, the perfect job, the perfect two story home with a white picket fence." Finally looking at him she sighed, "I guess one out of three isn't _that_ bad."

He assumed she was talking about the job part. "What about Pete?"

"That's just it," she said, her voice coming out barely a whisper. "_What_ about him?"

Well, what the hell was that supposed to mean? Daniel shook his head, "...I don't understand."

She took in a deep breath, "Neither do I... Daniel, my father said a lot of things to me earlier, and it got me thinking. What if I don't love Pete the way I thought I did? What if I only accepted his proposal because I wanted someone to come home to and somebody who I knew would always be there for me. What if I'm _not_ happy...?" her voice broke and she looked down at her hands, pushing back to lump rising in her throat. "God, Daniel... how did I let things get this far?"

For the first time in his adult life, Daniel was speechless. Which, was probably because he had no clue what she was talking about, only that it concerned Pete and her relationship, and obviously her father as well. Did Jacob not approve of her engagement? Was that why she looked so upset after he left? "I... uh, Sam..." not knowing what else to do he gathered her into his arms, pulling her close. "Whatever it is, Sam... I want to help you."

Sam was a hair away from breaking down, and the fact that he was holding her like a broken rag doll wasn't really helping much, but it was comforting and at that point she didn't care if she did end up giving in and breaking down. Instinctively, her arms came around his body and she clung on, hiding her face in his chest. _"Tell him."_ her father's voice rang in her head. _"Tell him."_

"Tell who?" she murmured into his shirt. _"I'm afraid, Dad."_

"God, Daniel..." she choked. "I'm afraid– I'm so afraid."

"Of what, Sam?" he questioned, keeping his hold on her tight. "What are you afraid of?"

"What if I'm making a mistake? What if, by accepting the proposal, I made the biggest mistake of my life?" she sighed into his chest. "I don't know what to do, I just don't... why don't I know what to do?"

"You're questioning your feelings for Pete?" he questioned, taking a stab in the dark, fumbling for a light.

She nodded.

"Listen to me, Sam," he said, pulling away to look at her. "I didn't have that much time with Sha're, but ever second of every day was a blessing and I would do nothing to change the life I shared with her. Even if I had the chance to go back and change things, to leave with Jack instead of staying on Abydos, I would still have stayed. The truth is, during that short amount of time I had with her, I was happier than I have ever been in my life, and I imagine that I'll never be that happy again. That's love... when you would do anything just to be with that person, no matter what the consequence."

"I don't..." her voice broke and she sighed. "I'm just not sure."

Daniel's heart went out to his friend. Samantha Carter never let her emotions show this much– at least, never to him. "What did your dad say to you, Sam?"

"It wasn't any one thing, Daniel... it was the entire conversation. It was just... a lot of the things he said made sense. God, they made so much sense it was scary, because how could he have known any of it? He hasn't been here in months, he didn't even know about our relationship... how could he have known as much as he did? How?" A confused look danced in her eyes, along with frustration and uncertainty, amidst a rainbow of other emotions that couldn't be separated from each other.

He wasn't very sure himself, having never been a father, nor really having one when he grew up, but one thing was certain. Jacob Carter knew what was best for his daughter, some how, he just knew. With a smile, he pushed a lock of hair behind her hair, "He's your father."

Yeah, well– that hadn't made any sense when Jacob himself had used it as a reason, so why would it make sense coming from Daniel? "What does that mean?"

"I don't know," he confessed, shaking his head.

"Daniel, I don't know what to do..." she rubbed her face with the palms of her hands and then ran her hands through her hair. "Dad doesn't think that Pete is the right guy for me, what if he isn't? What if I'm wasting my time with him?"

"Then stop," Daniel said. "If you think that your father is right, and Pete isn't the right guy for you– I mean, if you really believe it, then why continue to do so?" It was his turn to sigh, "Sam... I don't know what your father said to you, but I think I have an idea. By staying with Pete, you're keeping yourself rom the person who can really make you happy, all because of what? Rules? Regulations? Or... maybe, you're afraid of what will happen when you're finally happy. I don't know what it is. But, Sam– you deserve somebody who is going to love you with the same amount of passion and feeling as you love them... I don't think Pete makes the cut, honestly."

"I'm scared, Daniel..." she admitted, for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

"What are you scared of Sam? What could possibly make you so afraid?"

"_He _does," she said cryptically. "I've never... nobody can screw with my mind like he can. I've never needed somebody like this before, and it scares me." She looked away, and he saw a stubborn tear escape her eye and fall down her cheek.

Daniel smiled and turned her head so that she was looking at him again, then wiped the tear away. "That fear, Sam... that knot in the pit of your stomach, the lump rising in your throat– _that's_ love."

Sam didn't answer him, instead she turned her head again, looking anywhere but at him. Was he right? Were the things her father and Daniel said really the truth?

Her fathers words echoed in her mind; _"Sam, I know you have denied yourself the experience because you think it must inevitably end in pain and loneliness... And it has, every time before. But when it's right, when he is right, you'll know."_

Oh, God... they were right.

**XXXX**

**A/N: Let me know what'cha think about it! I live off of feedback!  
**


	6. Best Kind of Therapy

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: The Best Kind of Therapy **

**Summary: Hadn't she always said she would be a young mother? Having her first child no later than 26 years old? What had happened to that dream?**

**Spoilers: Grace, yet again.**

**Disclaimer: Nuh uh, not mine. Maybe some day... **

**XXXX**

Sam and Daniel sat in an uncomfortable silence for nearly five minutes before the archeologist finally came to the conclusion that either she wasn't going to talk to him at that moment, or she was too busy thinking what he and her father said to even recognize that he was still in the room with her. Somehow, the second seemed a bit more plausible to him. Without a word, he got up from his chair and headed out the room, pausing only slightly to glance over her shoulder and see if she had noticed him leaving. She hadn't, as he had expected, so he continued through the door and into the corridor. From there he headed to Jack's office. Not to tell him about the things that he and Sam had discussed, because what the two had talked about was extremely private and something that he would keep to himself until Sam told him otherwise. As far as he knew, she had told him those things simply because she had the upmost confidence that he wouldn't blab it to everyone on the base, and he didn't think that she would be partial to letting anybody else knowing her most secret thoughts.

Instead, he was headed to see O'Neill because he knew that the man had been worried about her, much as he, himself had been. Jack had gone so far as to confront her about it, and Daniel knew how hard that must have been for him, knowing his feelings for her. Daniel would simply inform the general that Sam was going to be fine, she just needed to be alone for a bit– and not to ask him, or her, about it, when the time was right he would know. At least, Daniel hoped that he would...

Jack was waiting for him when he knocked on the door, pushing it open slightly and sticking his head through the gap. He waved him in, a concerned expression on his face, and gestured for the younger man to have a seat, to which Daniel complied. "How is she?" he questioned, skipping the small talk and nervous banter. There was no time for such things, as far as he was concerned.

"She's fine, Jack," the archeologist assured him. "Although, I wouldn't go barging into her office and questioning her anytime soon... she needs some time alone, there's a lot of things on her plate. Trust me on this one Jack, give her some space for the moment. When she's ready for you to know what is bothering her, you'll know what's bothering her. Until then... be patient."

The general seemed to take the speech easily, and had the grace to nod understandingly, although he wanted to argue. The hell he should wait for her to tell him, he was her CO, more than that– her friend, what could be so bad that she couldn't, or wouldn't, tell him? Daniel was way smarter than he was when dealing with people, though, so he had learned to take what the man said with stride... for the most part. But, it seemed that this would one of those times where he just had to listen to Daniel, even though he didn't like it. "Is it really _that _bad?"

Daniel gave his friend a look that plainly said he wasn't getting any further into that particular conversation than he already had. "I've already said more than I should, Jack... I'm sorry. I didn't want you to be worried, though."

"Yeah," he sighed, "well... too late for that."

**XXXX**

It was funny, in a strange sort of way. She hadn't even noticed that he was gone, until the door to her office slid open with a hiss and he came walking through. Had she really been that deep in thought, that everything around her had simply faded into the background, out of sight and out of mind? How long had he waited before leaving her office? How long had she been sitting there, staring into space? He strode across the room and claimed the seat he had once occupied once again.

"Hey," she greeted, her voice thick and raspy. "Where did you go?"

"I went to see Jack," he informed her, with a bit of hesitance. Her face must have showed the horror she was feeling because he quickly added on to his first statement. "Just to tell him that you're fine, and ask him to give you a day's downtime."

"What?" she questioned, suddenly feeling defensive, "Daniel, I don't _need_ any downtime."

"Yes, you do," he replied quickly. "You've got way too much on your mind to be doing anything strenuous or thought-consuming. A nice, quiet evening at home will do you some good. Trust me."

"_I will always be there for you. No matter what... Trust me."_

Sam sighed, wondering where the hell that came from and why she was suddenly thinking about her time spent alone on the Prometheus. Especially when it had been months since the last time she had been bombarded by images and memories from that experience. Sure, every now and then she would think about her time spent on the ship, but it had been awhile since a random sentence popped into her head. "Maybe you're right..."

Daniel had observed Sam's inward struggle, and nodded, "You want me to take you?"

She shook her head, "No... I'm fine to go. Thank you, Daniel– for everything."

"Don't mention it," he told her. "That's what friends are for."

When Sam cringed Daniel was a bit concerned, but he didn't allow her to see his worries. Instead, he pulled her into a hug, squeezing her comfortingly, and gave her a brief kiss on the cheek. "You take care, Sam. I don't want to see you on this base until the day after tomorrow."

"Ok," she smiled lightly and stood up from her chair, grabbing her laptop and keys. Her mind was buzzing from Daniel's previous comment.

"_That's what friends are for."_

"_Friends..."_

"_Hey, this is you talking here. Might as well be honest."_

When Sam was a safe distance away from Daniel she allowed herself to snort. _Friends_, eh? That's all they were... friends. With her luck, they would never be anything other than such. But, Daniel and her father couldn't both be wrong... could they? As she boarded the elevator she glanced down at her hand, suddenly curious as to why she never wore her engagement ring. Sure, she told herself (and anyone who asked) that it was because it got in the way of her work. Not only did it slip when she was experimenting with some new alien technology, but it made brandishing any kind of firearm that much more complicated, as well as glinting in the sunlight. The last thing she needed off-world was some over-zealous Jaffa noticing the diamond catching light. But, what she didn't admit was that she never wore it at home, either, or when she went out anywhere. In fact, the only time it was ever on was when Pete was in town...

It was uncomfortable, not the ring itself, but the situation it forced her into. At first, she wore it every day, and because of it she was confronted many times about her availability. Not people asking because they wanted to see If they had a shot at her, but because they wanted to know all about the lucky guy. Although they didn't give her any reason to believe so, she could tell they were comparing Pete to Jack when she spoke of him. And Sam herself had done so many times, and each time Pete fell short of the general... very short.

More than that, _he_ was always staring at it. Whenever she was in a briefing and noticed that he wasn't paying attention, he was always looking at that damn ring. And, though his face never showed sings of disgust his eyes could not hide it. He never had been all that great at hiding his emotions, at least when it came to his eyes... and her. As far as Sam knew, he was aware of this.

The ding of the elevator tore her out of her thoughts and she exited it as soon as the doors open, only to walk across the room and board another. There, she was once again alone, and able to run her many thoughts through her mind in an attempt to sort them out. With a heavy sigh she leaned against the metal walls of the elevator, allowing her eyes to drift close for the moment. As the device climbed up the mountain she made a mental note to call Daniel and thank him once more for getting her some time off. She wasn't even out of the mountain yet, and already the distance was making her feel much better.

Her last destination was reached and the metal doors slid open, causing her to open her eyes once more. She left the complex, smilingly lightly at those SF's and airmen who nodded at her with acknowledgment, the last thing she was in the mood for was small talk, and normally she would have stopped at chatted with the few of them she knew. Today, though, she was going to stick to an anti-social kick. She had enough conversation to last her a week, as far as she was concerned.

She climbed into her silver Toyota, sinking into the soft seat, and sighed in relief. For the next 36 hours she could be completely alone, shut off from anyone and everyone who would attempt to cheer her up. Jamming her key into the ignition she turned it, smiling at the sound of her engine revving up, and briefly wondering if the weather would be this nice the next day. If so, she had a feeling she would be spending it driving around on her Indian, rather than being cooped up in her home. The thought brought a smile to her face, that was exactly the kind of therapy she needed. A nice, breezing late March afternoon, nothing but the wind on her face and the road in front of her.

The ride home was quiet, but comfortable, and she stopped at the Burger King close to her house and picked up some lunch. From there she headed home, but at the last minute decided against it and took off for the lake-side park that was just down the street from where she lived. The water would be cold, but it was a beautiful day, the sun shining at the temperature just slightly above 60 degrees, she could always sit in the sand by the man-made shore and let the breeze tangle her hair. That, too, sounded like the perfect therapy.

Moore's Lake park was almost empty when she pulled up along side it. There were a few young mothers watching their children (all under the age of five, since it was a school day) play on the swings and fly down the slides. Something in her yearned to be like the women there, who all seemed to be younger than she was. Hadn't she always said she would be a young mother? Having her first child no later than 26 years old? What had happened to that dream?

With a snort she headed for the dock, deciding against the sand for the moment. Jonas had happened to that dream. Then, another dream, a more unbelievable one, had replaced it. She was 27 and bright-eyed, spitting out theories about the Stargate and forming a new dream, to not just work on the device, but to one day travel through it. That had to beat motherhood, right?

That's where she was wrong, though. Nothing could take over the natural instinct to want to have a child. No matter how extravagant her new dreams were, they would never compare to the wonder of creating life, then watching it grow and mature. Now she was wondering if that particular dream would ever become a reality. A the rate she was going she didn't think so.

A shout of surprise, then a loud crash caught her attention and she turned around just in time to see a little boy tumble down a slide, landing in an awkward heap on the ground in front of it. A dark haired woman cried out, then ran as fast as she could (which, looked fairly fast to Sam) towards the young boy, and though Sam was far away she could see the worried look on her face.

Sam couldn't help herself, curiosity killed the cat, as it were, and she found herself walking back towards the sene of the accident. Like moths to a light all the other mothers did the same, cradling their own children in the arms if they could. Sam, being closer than most of them, made it to the mother and her son first. "Is everything alright, Ma'am?"

The woman shook her head, worry clouding her bright, hazel eyes. "I think he's broke his arm."

Looking down at the young boy Sam couldn't help but wince, oh yeah... his arm was certainly broke. "I'll call an ambulance."

"Thank you," the woman said, pulling her crying son into her arms carefully. "Shh... it's ok Caden," she whispered into the boys ear. "Mommy's here... it's ok."

He sniffled, choking back a sob, because mommy had started to cry and he didn't like it when mommy cried. A few minutes later, an ambulance pulled up and three EMT's rushed over to the boy and his mother, helping him back to the ambulance where they would undoubtably splint it. The woman thanked Sam once more before rushing off with her son, leaving the colonel and a bunch of anxious mothers in her wake.

Many of them cut their losses and left the park, sure that if one little boy could get hurt, theirs could as well. Some stayed behind, watching their children like hawks and running to them at the slightest fumble or misstep. Sam, herself, watched the kids for a moment before heading back towards the dock, once again ready for the time alone. When she reached the end she sat down, pulling off her shoes and rolling up the ends of her pants, before sticking her feet into the water. "Yikes," she mumbled, pulling them back out. So, maybe March was still a bit early for the water to be warmed up. She should have known.

Instead of putting her shoes back on, she simply picked them up and traveled down the dock, deciding that the sand was probably a lot more agreeable that time of year. Turned out, she was right, the sand wasn't warm, but neither was it cold, and she found herself sighing with the sensation. _This_ was downtime. She walked for a minute or so, releasing in the feel of sand between her toes, then sat down to stare out over the calm waters.

In the back of her mind she wondered if somewhere out there an alternate version of herself was at home, cooing and cuddling a child in her arms, _her_ child. The thought brought a smile to her lips, maybe a few of the Carter's out there had seen her dream through. More than that particular one, she wondered how many of those Mother Carter's had a bouncing baby boy with chocolate brown eyes that sparkled with humor. _That _thought sent chills down her spine, and an even broader grin to her lips. But, as soon as the smile appeared it was gone.

Somehow, an alternate Carter having all the things she had ever dreamed of just didn't seem like enough to her.


	7. Memory Lane

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: Memory Lane**

**Summary: More or less, it had been an exhausting day, and being able to finally relax was a great feeling.**

**Spoilers: Chimera and Lost City**

**Disclaimer: We all know this by now, don't we? The show/ the characters, not mine.**

**XXXX**

The house was dark and cold when she got home, which confused her. Pete was supposed to be there that week, so where was he? Setting her keys down on the coffee table her eyes scanned the room, falling on a piece of folded up paper setting on the kitchen counter. Odd. Had he left it for her? With a sigh she walked across the living room and into the conjoining kitchen, picking up the piece of paper and unfolding it.

_Sam,_

_Called back to Denver on a case. Call me as soon as you get home._

_Love,_

_Pete._

Another sigh escaped her lips and she set the paper back down, glancing at the nearest clock. It was only just nearing 1600 hours, so she wouldn't be expected home for hours, therefore she could wait to call him for awhile. It wasn't that she just didn't want to talk to Pete in particular, but she wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone, much less the man that she wasn't sure if she loved or not.

Remembering her earlier thoughts of a bubble bath, her eyes darted around the house again. It was clean, so she really didn't have anything she needed to do, and she could always order out for dinner. Deciding that a bubble bath was just what she needed, she searched around the kitchen for a glass of wine and headed into the guest bathroom, the only one that held a bathtub, stopping in the guest room and grabbing a few of the candles that Teal'c used to kel-no-reem when he stayed at her house.

Once in the bathroom she lit the candles and drew up a hot bath, using shampoo for bubbles, then waiting until the tub was filled before turning off the lights and allowing the candles provide a soft, dim glow to light the room. She undressed quickly and slipped into the warm water, sighing with relief. It had been a long time since she had a bubble bath.

As she soaked in the tub her mind drifted to the events of the day. It hadn't been a dull one, that was for sure. She had her father had one of the most serious conversations she could remember ever having in her life, then so did she and Daniel. Not to mention the cute little boy at the park, bless his heart. Her first broken bone was at the age of 15, she couldn't imagine being so small and going through all that pain. More or less, it had been an exhausting day, and being able to finally relax was a great feeling.

She stayed in the tub until her fingers began to shrivel and she was forced to get out. Grabbing a towel and wrapping it around her quickly, she attempted to shield her body from the cold air. As soon as she stepped out of the bathroom, headed for her bedroom and a change of clothes, her phone rang. She let it continue to do so, and pulled out a pair of jeans and a old Academy t-shirt. When she had pulled on her shirt her answering machine picked up.

"_Hey, this is Sam. You know what to do."_

"_Sam..."_ the person who had called, whom she recognized as Pete, _"when you hear this call me, alright? I left you a note..." _There was a slight pause before he continued. _"I'll talk to you later, then. Bye."_

Sam frowned at the sound of his voice, it sounded stressed to her. Probably case related, she decided, pulling on her pants. After towel drying her hair for a minute or so she traveled back into her living room where she grabbed the phone. Instead of calling her fiancé she pressed the number 8 speed-dial and waited for the restaurant to pick up. Realizing how sad it was that she had a Chinese take-out restaurant programmed into her phone she sighed, then rattled off her usual order to the woman at the other end.

After she had hung up she ventured to her bookcase, cringing at the alphabetized books and scientifical journals as she remembered her first night at Pete.

"_Just don't look at the bookshelves"_

She had been so happy then. So sure that he was the one, or that in time he could make her forget about the man she knew was already the one. She thought that maybe, just maybe, she could be happy, for once in her life. How had things gone from that... to this? Now she was confused and unsure and wondering how on earth she was going to tell Pete that she couldn't marry him. Or when. She had vaguely hoped that he would have been at her place so she could have ended it that night. But, now that wasn't possible. She wasn't going to breakup with him over the phone, that was too impersonal, and she did have strong feelings for Pete. They just weren't strong enough and didn't come close to her feelings for her CO.

Which was another thing. What did she tell him? That she couldn't be with him anymore because she realized that she was only settling? That he was just a safe bet, a net for her to fall back on because she was afraid to take a chance and risk everything for what could be the greatest love of her life? Did she tell him the truth, the complete and total truth, or just a schooled version of it, something easy for him to digest. Then again, what could be easy about telling a man that you couldn't and wouldn't marry him?

Feeling a bubble of resentment rise in her throat she grabbed some of the books from the case, and shoved them into different and far apart spaces. When her task was finished she stared at it for a few minutes, her hands itching to put the scattered books into their correct places. There were few things in her life that she could control, and her house and all the things in it was one of those things. To hell with neatness... to hell with lying memories. This was real, she had the power to change her life. So why was she so afraid?

Grabbing one of her John Grisham books from the shelf she smiled lightly to herself. Not many people knew that she liked the Criminal Law genre, and those who did teased her for it. Mostly the general, but occasionally Daniel or Cassie would join in, even though she knew they didn't totally hate the subject. Especially Jack. She had gone to his house with Daniel and Teal'c after he had been frozed in the Antarctic she had seen a nice row of Grisham books, ranging from _A Time to Kill _to _The Runaway Jury_.

Curling up on the couch with her current book, _The Firm_, she shut out her thoughts of the day and lost herself in the story. Fifteen or so minutes later, the doorbell pulled her back into reality, earning a frown from her face as she was forced to put down the book and get off of her sofa. After paying for her dinner she brought it back into the living room where she once again picked up her book and multi tasked, eating and reading at the same time.

She was on Chapter Eight when her phone rang again, causing her to sigh. It was no doubt Pete once more, and she couldn't keep putting him off. Picking up on the third ring she forced a cheerful voice to greet him, "This is Sam."

"Hey, I've been trying to get a hold of you all day."

"Oh," she replied, "I just got home. I'm sorry."

"Where were you?" he questioned. "I called Daniel, he said you had left work early. Is something wrong?"

_Damn that man._ Sam thought. "No, I'm fine. There was nothing for me to do so I went out for a little while. I had some errands to run. Nothing big."

"Oh, ok. Listen, I'm sorry I had to go like that, but there were some new discoveries that came up on a case I've been working and I had to go back. You're not mad at me, are you?"

Well, I was kind of looking forward to breaking up with you tonight, but no biggie. "No, of course I'm not mad. I understand, you had to work."

"Right. Of course you understand. Uh... I'm going to try to come back in a few days to finish my vacation, alright?"

"Yeah." The sooner I get to break up with you, the sooner I can figure out where I go from here. "Don't take too long."

The phrase could have easily been confused with one of impatience to one of loneliness, and the man did just that. "I am really sorry I had to leave, Sam. There was nothing else I could do."

"No... I understand Pete. That was stupid of me to say. Take all the time you need. I don't want you to rush through things just because I asked you to come back soon."

She could almost hear him smiling at the other end, and she cringed because of it. "I'll call you later, Sam."

"Alright," she replied.

"I love you." he told her, causing her to cringe once more.

"Yeah." she said. "You too."

She hung up the phone and sighed heavily. Maybe this was going to harder than she had thought.

**XXXX**

Later on that evening, after the sun had gone don and she had grown tired of reading, she traveled down the hall to the closet and pulled down a box, smiling slightly to herself. Her conversation with her father had brought back many old memories and it had been many months since she had looked through the contents of the military issued cardboard box she had carried her things from the Pentagon in before changing it into her little memory holder.

Bringing it back into the living room she set it down on the couch, taking off the lid and pulling out the first thing she could find. It was her mother's copy of her parents marriage licence. She smiled at the piece of paper, remembering the day her father had given it to her, saying she would have wanted her to have it.

Setting that down next to the box she pulled out the next thing, which happened to be a picture of her fifteenth birthday party– her last one while her mother was still alive. Feeling tears stinging behind her eyes she set the photo down and moved on, this time grabbing the baby pictures of her nice, Elizabeth. It had been nearly a year since the last time Sam and her father had gone to see her brother, and his birthday was coming around the corner. Maybe she should have made plans to go see him before her breakup with his best friend. Mark might be a bit sore at her for doing so.

She sighed as she put the photo with the other things she had brought out and then reached into the box once more, this time getting a team-meeting picture that had to be three years old. Teal'c, sans his new hairdo, was smiling slightly, in his scary Jaffa way, and standing next to a broadly grinning Janet. Jonas was missing from the picture, so he had to have been the one taking the photo, and to the right of Janet and Teal'c stood Sam and Jack, a bit closer than she had remembered them ever being at such functions. His grin was wide and hers was flustered and she wondered what he had done to make her cheeks so red. It must have been good, because the next picture was of her smacking him in a very insubordinate manner, albeit playful. The one after that was of Janet holding her friends arms, jokingly, to keep her from doing anything further, the grin on her face magically larger than before. A few more were of the guys and Jonas, attempting to grill out, and burning their food in the process. Sam sighed to herself, missing those days and wondering what the man was up to on his home planet.

The next stack of photos were much older than the first, the tale-tell sign being Daniel's long hair and the general's lack of gray. Cassie was among the group, as was her new dog, which she named Homer (Jack had corrupted the girl from day one). They were at the park Sam had been sitting at hours before, smiling happily and laughing at something that Daniel had done or tripped over.

After a few minutes she set that group of pictures down and pulled out a different kind of keepsake. It was her grand-mothers wedding band, thin gold with an engraving saying "Forever and two days" inside of it. From what her mother had told her when she was younger, her grandfather had said that to her grandmother when asking her to marry him, that he would love her for forever and two days. It was one of the few things that Sam had gotten when her grandmother died, because she was still very young when it had happened, but even then Sam had known how special it was.

Sam sat down on the edge of her coffee table and took off her dog tags, sliding the ring on the chain and then putting it back around her neck. She was surprised she had let it slip away from her like that, and she wasn't going to again. Her mother had entrusted her with the ring and she would make sure it stayed in perfect condition until she gave it to her daughter one day. That was, if she ever had one.

Deciding that it was time to end her trip down memory lane she returned the boxes contents and closed the lid, leaving it on the couch for easy access should she want to look further. It was getting late though, and she was planning on waking very early the next morning and making the most of her day off. Which, was supposed to be just as beautiful as the day had been. Fingering the ring around her neck she traveled back down the hallway, changed into some more comfortable pants, and then slid under the covers of her bed.

Within minutes she fell into a dream-filled sleep.


	8. Phone calls and todo lists

**Title: Safe Bet**

**  
Chapter: Of phone calls and to-do lists.**

**  
Summary: Sam licked her lips, not at all sure she wanted to get into this conversation in the middle of a mall...**

**  
Spoilers: None **

**  
Disclaimer: No, the show and the characters do not belong to me.**

**XXXX**

It was still early when she woke the next morning, and the sun was just barely peaking over a breath-taking pink and orange sky. The first thing that she did when fully awake was start a pot of coffee and then head out the back door and onto the porch, to watch the sunrise. It was the perfect way to begin her downtime.

When the sky began to turn pale blue and the sun started to shine down furiously on her bare arms she went back into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. After her caffeine craving was quenched she headed for a quick shower before she officially started her day; spending no more than seven minutes under the warmth of the water.

She dressed casually: jeans, a t-shirt, and her leather jacket to top it off. She was, by the way, going to use most of the day up by driving around on her bike. What she would then do with the rest of her downtime was still an unknown factor. Maybe she would just return home and read some more... or maybe she would get started with her spring cleaning. It was about time for that, anyways.

It was nearing 0715 when she brought her bike around from the backyard. Deciding that life would be much, much easier if she had a house with a driveway and a garage she started up the motorcycle and took off down the road; in search of somewhere good for breakfast.

Not long after that she pulled into the parking lot of an IHOP, deciding that pancakes would be alright for breakfast. Since it was still very early and a week day the restaurant was pretty much empty and she was seated immediately. Forgoing another cup of coffee she settled on orange juice and simply ordered two pancakes and a side order of bacon. She wasn't in the mood for something fancy, and she wanted to get on the road as quickly as possible.

Sam was in and out of the IHOP in twenty minutes, leaving a tip that was way too high for the small bill. Not that she cared, money was like time-- all relevant. Ann extra few dollars spent wouldn't hurt her any, and it wasn't like she was blowing it all off on a pair of shoes. Or worse, a _purse_.

As she was preparing to take off once more her cell phone rang from its place in her pocket. With a heavy, annoyed sigh she answered, not even bothering to check the caller ID. "Carter," might as well be professional. She never knew who would be calling her phone.

"Sam, hey." It was Daniel. "You're up already..."

"If I hadn't been, I _would_ be now." Which translated into 'What on earth, or any other planet, are you doing calling me so early in the morning?' "What's up?"

Daniel hesitated; should he tell her that he was calling to check up on her? ...Probably not... "We got word from the Tok'ra, they accepted the new alliance." It was the truth, but also something she didn't necessarily need to hear at that hour of the day.

Sam had already knew they would, "Oh... alright then. Is that all?"

Another pause, "...Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Daniel," she assured him. "Ready to get on my bike, but fine no less."

"Oh," the man replied, catching on. "I'll let you get going then. Talk to you later-- call if you need _anything_. Or want to talk about Jack..."

"I will," she promised. "Bye, Daniel." She hung up, turning the ring to silent and then putting on her helmet. She took off out of the parking lot, not going anywhere in general, but getting there pretty darn quickly.

**XXXX**

The sun was high in the sky by the time she pulled off the interstate to fill up on gas. The station she used was an older one, carrying only three, one-nozzle, regular unleaded gas, pumps. It was nearing 0930, she noted, as she paid inside the small 50's style building, when she glanced around, half expecting to see a soda fountain. She still had no clue where she was going or even if there was a specific place in her mind, but she didn't care much, all she had set out to do was drive.

When she finally stopped again it was at an empty scenic overlook, high up on the mountains. It was just after 1000 hours, so she decided to stay awhile and enjoy the view, something she had learned to appreciate in her years at the SGC; the beauty of earth. Lately she hadn't been able to do it enough, although she had plenty of time to see the beauty of other worlds. Leaning her arms on the railing, her eyes scanned the area in front of her. The mountains here were beautiful, but she suddenly found herself missing those of North Carolina, where she had lived for nearly a year while a teenager. The atmosphere there was different; being higher up in altitude, to the point of touching the clouds at times. Here there was no mist to brush against her face or cling to her hair, but it was still amazingly breath-taking. After a few minutes of watching the few wispy clouds above pass over the sun she climbed the steps to the highest overlook, and sat down on a bench facing the same direction she had been looking only moments prior, thousands of thoughts running through her mind. With everything that was going on with her life lately, it was a wonder she could even think at all.

Everything she and her father had talked about flashed briefly in her memory, before the conversation with Daniel took over, and then the phone call from Pete the night before. He was a nice guy, she was having a hard time figuring out how exactly to let him down gently. She almost started to doubt her decision to break things off, before another person tore through her thoughts, causing her stomach to fold and her throat to tighten.

"_That fear, Sam... that knot in the pit of your stomach, the lump rising in your throat– _that's_ love." _

Daniel was right. She loved Jack. There was no doubting that, so there was no possible way she could continue things with Pete. She didn't even want to, it was only her nerves. She hadn't ever had to let a man down gently before. Every other time the guys had either turned out to be jerks or... died, to put it simply. Nice breakups weren't exactly her forte. How would he take it? Would he be able to accept her excuses and break away clean, or would he argue with her, try to talk her out of it?

Sighing heavily she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her thighs and rubbing her aching temples. She shouldn't dwell on how he would take it, no matter how much thinking she put into it, none of it would change his reaction. Instead, she should be enjoying the short amount of time she had away from work and the other stress-causers in her life. A snort escaped her throat, surprising her slightly, and she stood up from the bench. If she continued to sit there, she would do nothing put think. She needed to get back on her bike and begin the nearly two hour drive back into town... maybe shopping wasn't that bad of an idea, after all.

Taking the stairs down two at a time she headed back for her bike, pausing only momentarily to put on her helmet and zip up her jacket. When that was done she took off out of the parking lot for the overlook and headed back for Colorado Springs, and any sort of distraction she could find.

**XXXX**

She went straight for the mall, having not come up with a better idea along the way, and parked in front of Sears, which was by the food court. It was already after 1200 hours and she was beginning to get hungry once more, although it wasn't bad enough to where lunch was the first place she was headed. Sam had decided she would attempt to do the girly thing for awhile... although buying a purse was an absolute no. She had never liked the things, although a new pair of shoes didn't sound _so_ bad. As long as they didn't have very high heals.

After nearly ten minutes of looking around (8 too many, she thought) she finally settled on a pair of black, strappy sandles. It would be getting warmer soon and at most she had two pairs of non-tennis shoes in her closet, and they were getting worn out. Then again, she really had no need for any other kind of shoe, she was almost always off-world or on the base lately. She bought the shoes, nonetheless, in hopes that maybe one day that would change.

It wasn't long after that before she found herself trying on skirts in the dressing room. Skirts were ok, she liked skirts, but dresses, for the most part, she didn't wear. Unless, she had a very good occasion for it, and even then it wasn't a choice. After settling on a cute, light blue, near the knee length skirt she checked out and headed for the food court, her hunger finally winning out.

As she was paying for her Chick-fil-A sandwich her cell phone began to ring. She ignored it for the most part, smiling awkwardly at the woman taking her order, and then went to sit down after getting her food. When she checked the phone she was relieved to see that it was Cassie who had called, not Pete-- or worse, Daniel.

She ate quickly and then went to a less crowded part of the mall to phone the girl back. Cassie picked up on the third ring, greeting her with a young, happy voice.

"Spring Break starts this Friday, you know?" she questioned after their initial hellos. "I was wondering if maybe you could get some time off from Jack... so we could spend some of it together."

"I'd love that," Sam told the girl, smiling genuinely. "I'll ask for a few days off, you can stay at the house, if you want to."

There was a slight pause, so brief that Sam almost missed it, "Will Pete be in town?"

Did Cassie not like him either? Well, that was a surprise to her, the girl had always been very nice around him. "No... I don't think he will, Cass."

"How are things in engagement land, anyway?"

Sam licked her lips, not at all sure she wanted to get into this conversation in the middle of a mall, "Not so well... I think I'm going to break it off."

"You _think_?" the girl repeated, not a hint of surprise in her voice.

"I am," Sam corrected. "As soon as he gets back into town."

"Which will be...?"

"I'm not sure, it's what... Wednesday?" she questioned, trying to remember the date.

"Yeah, I don't know if I want to be there when you break up with him..." Cassie confessed. "That's a bit personal."

"Well, how about you come over Sunday then? I'm sure he'll have been back and things will be done and over with by then."

"Alright," she agreed. "Sunday it is. Don't forget to ask Jack about taking some time off."

"Of course I won't," Sam promised. "I'll ask him tomorrow."

"Are you not at work today?"

"Well, no..." she replied. "It's a long story though. I'll tell you when you come over."

"Ok... well, I should head off for class then." There was a pause, longer than the previous one. "Are you alright Sam? Do you need to talk about anything? I can be late to class, my professor is cool about things like that if you're normally on time..."

"I'll be fine, Cass. Thank you for your concern though." Had it come from anybody else and Sam wouldn't have been so thankful. But Cassie was a lot like her mother in the respect that she was extremely easy to confide in. Maybe it was because of her innocence after all she had been through, or her understanding at a type of pain many people could never dream of. Sam wasn't sure. Perhaps, it was just a result of being Janet Fraiser's daughter, even if it had been for such a short time. "I'll talk to you later, get to class."

Cassie laughed lightly, "Alright, Sam. I'll call you tonight?"

"Yeah," she said. "That sounds great."

They hung up and Sam sighed, sinking into the soft chair she had been standing in front of. It was Wednesday, Pete would be home at least by Saturday, and that only gave her 2, _maybe_ 3 days to figure out the best way to break up with him. But, on a lighter note, after that she would be spending time with her closest female friend, even if the woman was many years younger than she was. No matter how bad she would be feeling, Cassie would find a way to make things better. And besides, then maybe she could find the courage to finally talk things through with Jack, and see where she stood.

But first, she had some things to do. Sam picked up her cell phone once more and pressed number two on the speed dial, waiting for the person on the other end to pick up.

Which, he did after two rings. "Hello?" Not very professional... but it was Daniel she had called.

"Hey, Daniel... does the general have any big briefings today?" If she was right, he had one with Major Davis in roughly forty-five minutes.

"Um..." the man thought, before remembering the same thing she had been thinking. "Yeah, something to do with the Pentagon at 1400."

Good, she could sneak on base without him noticing. "Alright... I'll see you in forty minutes."

"Wait, Sam," Daniel called as she went to turn off the phone, "you're on dow--"

He didn't get the change to finish his sentence because she disconnected the call and once again turned her ringer to silent, then headed for the entrance she had come through and her ride to the SGC.

**XXXX  
A/N: I don't say this often, but you guys are lucky to get this chapter today. My laptop has died, after only four months, and I have to have it sent off to be finished (thank God for warranties). Anyway, my sister, who has her own computer, was out of town today so I stole hers for a little while to write this one out for you guys. I don't know when I'll get my laptop back, but next week I'll be gone starting the 20th until the 24th, so if I won't be updating then either... anyway, like I said, if Brandy hadn't been out of town this probably wouldn't have been out today. I hope you liked it and please let me know what you think.**


	9. Decision Making

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: Decision Making**

**Summary: "Tell me I'm not making a huge mistake," she begged.**

**  
Spoilers: Nothing that hasn't already been specified... oh, and Disclosure**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Not this time, either. Better luck next chapter...**

**Authors Note: Um, no-- Pete does not live at Sam's house. Currently, he is waiting for his transfer to go through, but he was supposed to be spending some vacation time at her place before he was called back to work. She just said "home" out of habit... like the same way you call a family members house "home" when you're staying with them, I guess.  
XXXX**

The engine of her bike roared as she pulled into the Cheyenne Mountain Complex security stop. After handing the SF guarding the base checked her clearance he waved her through, a slightly surprised look on his face. She smiled and continued into the parking lot, pulling into the open space between Daniel's CR-V and the general's truck. Shutting off the engine to her class Indian, she let out a heavy sigh. So far it had been a wonderful day and up until that point she had done a fairly good job at not thinking of the situation she was currently in, but now that wasn't likely. She only hoped that she wouldn't run into him while she was down there.

Realizing that sitting in the parking lot would do her no good, she pulled her keys from the ignition, took off her helmet and jacket, then headed into the mountain. Ten minutes and two other security checks later she found herself roaming the halls of sub-level 22, on her way to Daniel's office, where he was undoubtedly working. The man must have been expecting her, because as soon as the metal door to his office slid open with a hiss, he looked up at her. "Now will you tell me what's going on?" he questioned immediately, before she was even halfway into the room.

Sure, why not? "I've decided that I'm going to break up with him," she said, slumping into one of the chairs in his office. "I can't be with him anymore-- not after all that has happened. I don't love him enough and not only is staying in the relationship unfair to him, but to me as well." A sigh escaped her throat as she pulled her legs into the chair and wrapped her arms around them, looking up at her friend with confusion in her eyes. "Tell me I'm not making a huge mistake," she begged.

Daniel just looked at her dumbfounded. "You can't seriously think you are."

She shrugged, "I just..." she cut her sentence short, letting out another, more frustrated sigh. "I need to hear it from somebody, _anybody,_ other than myself, alright? Daniel-- just do this for me, please?"

He walked over to where she was sitting and kneeled down in front of the chair, "Of course you're not making a mistake. You don't love Pete-- so why waste your time and his? But if this is really what you want, to break up with him, you can't come looking to me for reassurance. The decision is up to you and only you. Not me, your father, Cassie, Jack... not anybody but_ you_."

With a nod she looked up at him, reaching out and touching his arm, "Daniel... I need your help with this. I don't think I can do it on my own. I've never been so confused in my life."

And he didn't doubt that, either. Daniel knew how hard things were for Sam, firstly, not being able to tell the only man she ever_ truly_ cared for exactly that, and then trying to move on from him and failing miserably. He knew his friends belonged together and he was willing to do anything for that to happen. With a smile he placed a hand atop hers, "Whatever it is you need, Sam-- I'm here for you."

**XXXX**

They sat in his office for an hour, weighing out the possibilities she had and the different things that she could say to Pete, when he finally made it back to Colorado Springs. Everything from the entire truth to a flat out lie was discussed. Eventually, they had decided on a dumbed down version of what they considered the entire truth, and she was starting to feel confident about what she would have to do.

"My biggest question," she admitted after he had poured her a cup of freshly made coffee (from the machine in his office), "is what happens next?" She shifted in her seat, bringing her legs underneath her and folding her hands over the mug, "After Pete and I are no longer _Pete and I _where do I go? I can't exactly walk up to him and confess everything, then expect him to drop his entire life to be with me. I won't do that to him. He deserves his position and I'm not going to jeopardize anything for him because I feel alone."

"I honestly don't know," he stated, setting his own cup of coffee down on his desk. "Since neither of you would particularly enjoy giving up your jobs-- even just your titles-- there aren't many options. Short of making a request to the president himself, or keeping everything a secret."

"We could always play the Thor card," she suggested with a devious smile.

"_The Thor card?" _ he questioned, a confused look dancing in his eyes.

Sam nodded, the smile not fading a bit. Daniel briefly thought she looked like the Cheshire cat, and smiled himself because of it. "Well, we all know what happened when Thor insisted that Hammond continue to run the Stargate program in order for our two races to remain allies. The little guy is one of the general's favorite aliens, and I assume that he is one of Thor's favorite humans... so Thor would do pretty much anything for him. We could have him go to the president, or whomever, and say that if we still want help with our ships then the frat regs must be discarded."

While Daniel wondered if she was being serious, or if this was all just some kind of cosmic joke, Sam let out a good-hearted chuckle. "Don't take everything that I say too seriously, Daniel. You look like you're going to have an aneurysm. It was just a joke-- that would never work."

He wasn't so sure about that. "It might..."

"Oh well," she said with a laugh. "I wouldn't even dream of suggesting it to the general. Although, I'm sure he would love the idea."

Jack probably would, Daniel decided. "Well... I don't know, but I'd say the best thing to do would be to have a heart-to-heart with the POTUS and, well... beg."

She sighed, he was probably right. The only thing that they could do would be to talk to the president. That was, of course, depending on the fact that Jack wanted the relationship as much as she did. Who knew, maybe he had succeeded where she had failed. "How do you know that he will even care?"

"Who... the president?"

Sam shook her head, "Jack. What if he finds out that I broke up with Pete and it doesn't phase him one bit? What if... he doesn't feel the same way?"

"You don't even need to think about Sam. That's the last thing that should worry you."

"How can you be so sure about that?"

"Jack is my best friend," he claimed, and Sam knew it was the truth. "I know everything about him-- that he wants people to know, at least, and even most of what he would rather nobody ever find out. He has feelings for you, just as you do for him. You should never, ever, question that." As she opened her mouth to reply the ringing of a cell phone filled the air. Daniel withdrew his from his pocket and frowned, "Not mine, it must be you."

Frowning herself, she pulled the device from her back pocket and then sighed heavily. It was Pete. "I should get this..."

He waved her on, "Go ahead."

Scurrying out of the office and heading towards anywhere remotely private, she pressed the answer button and brought the phone to her ear, "Hello?"

"Sam," he greeted, a sickingly happy tone to his voice. If he only knew. "We caught the guy-- I'm going to be heading back to your place sometime tonight."

A wince formed on her face and she managed a happy voice to match his own, "That's wonderful... do you have a rough estimate at when you'll be here?"

"Sometime around 10, I guess."

"Alright, just call me and let me know the time so I can pick you up from the airport."

"Sure thing, babe." She grimaced at the term of endearment. "I'll call you later then."

"Ok, bye Pete." she hung up before he got the chance to say that he loved her, because, she knew she wouldn't be able to say it back.

**XXXX**

When she hung up with him she went back into Daniel's office, and the man immediately knew what was up. "It was Pete, wasn't it?"

With only a sound of indifference coming from her throat to go on, he continued. "When is he coming back?"

"Tonight."

"Really?" he questioned. "So soon?"

Sam nodded. Obviously. She wasn't ready for this. She had been hoping for at least another day of preparations before she had to put her plans to action. "Will you be available later?" she questioned, sitting back into the chair she had previously occupied. "If everything goes down and I need somebody to talk with... can I call you?"

He nodded, "I'll have my keys in the ignition and already be on my way."

"Thank you," she sighed. "So much. I wouldn't have been able to do anything without your help."

"I haven't done much." Daniel said modestly.

"You've been there for me, when I needed you the most. That's a lot."

Daniel smiled lightly, not at all sure that he had done so much. "Hey, you want to grab a bite to eat or something? Maybe something other than coffee to drink?"

She nodded, "I'd like that."

"He should still be in his meeting. So, we can go to the commissary with no worries."

Sam smiled, he knew her too well. "Good... then we should get there and back quick-- just in case."

They headed out of the office and towards the elevators together, Sam leaning onto her friend for support. Daniel smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, in a platonic way, of course, knowing that she didn't need physical support, rather emotional. "It's going to be fine, Sam. I promise."

"Yeah," she sighed. "Sure... You betcha."

**XXXX**

It had only been ten minutes, maybe not even that, and already the worst thing possible had occurred. While Sam and Daniel had been laughing over something that had occurred off-world recently, the door to the commissary opened and General O'Neill and Major Paul Davis walked though, chatting about something work-related. Probably had to do with the briefing they had just come out of.

And, of course, she was supposed to be at home, or anywhere that didn't include the letters S, G, and C, all rolled into one. As he noticed her, he stopped talking, a frown forming on his face. Major Davis followed his eyes towards the table where Sam and Daniel were sitting and the exact opposite happened; he smiled and headed over towards the two, glad to see a familiar face besides the general.

"Colonel," he greeted, looking towards Sam. He then turned to Daniel, "Dr. Jackson. Hello."

"Hey, Davis." Daniel replied with a genuine smile, "You want to join us?"

"That'd be nice," he said. "I'm just going to get some coffee real quick."

The man made his way towards the coffee machines and Jack came over to the table, "Doctor Jackson... how's work?"

"Good, Jack-- what about you?"

"Boring. Say... have you heard from Colonel Carter at all today? How's her _downtime _turning out?"

"I wasn't planning on coming here, sir," Sam explained. "And I actually did spend _most_ of the day away from the base."

He seemed to ignore her and continued to look at Daniel, "I wonder what she's doing now..."

"Sir," Sam called out. "Come on... it's not like you expected me to listen and stay away. I never do."

Finally looking over at her he frowned, "Yeah... and that worries me. Didn't I tell you to _get a life_?"

Sure you did. I listened, remember? That didn't turn out to well. Got anymore brilliant advice? "Pete's in Denver."

She must have struck a nerve, because his expression suddenly went schooled. The dark brown eyes that she had fallen in love with the moment she saw them were cold and expressionless, and she knew that he had just used his military training to hide his emotions from her. "Is that so?"

Should she tell him? Would that help any? Probably not... maybe it was best that he not find out until after the breakup was official. "Yes, sir. He's working an emergency case."

"Not transferred to Colorado Springs yet, has he?"

Nope. And now he never will. Good thing those sorts of things take time, eh? "No... it will be a _long_ time before he does." Long as in indefinite.

"Is that so?" he repeated.

"Yes sir, it is."

Davis returned to the table, not only carrying a cup of coffee, but a piece of pie, as well. "I couldn't resist..."

"Yes," Jack sighed, "who can?"

He shrugged and took a seat next to Daniel, leaving the only other one empty next to Sam. Her stomach clenched and she waited to see if he would take the opening, but for awhile he continued to stand there. "I'm going to go get some coffee," he said finally, looking at her with an odd expression. "Save that seat."

Letting out a suppressed breath, she nodded. He nodded slightly, his eyes darkening and returning to their normal sparkle as he walked off.

"What just happened?" Davis asked, a piece of pie sitting on his fork, which was halfway to his mouth, paused only when he noticed the unusual behavior going on around him.

Sam sighed, leaning back in her chair. "I have no idea..."

**XXXX**

** A/N: You know what to do (and if you've forgotten... it's called review!)  
**


	10. Filling in the Blanks

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: Filling in the Blanks**

**Summary: "Hmm," he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets and avoiding eye contact with her. "You can talk to me, you know?"**

**Disclaimer: Not my show. Not my characters. **

**Spoilers: Divide and Conquer **

**  
XXXX**

They were all still staring at each other in confusion when he returned to the table, a steaming cup of coffee in his hands. He looked at Sam with a raised eyebrow and took the open seat next to her, saying nothing and taking a sip of his coffee. Davis, realizing that he was staring, mouth agape, stuffed a piece of pie in it and did his best to look like he wasn't completely out of the loop. "So," he said, starting up a new conversation. "From what I hear you're supposed to be on downtime, right?"

Sam tried not to notice that _he_ was staring at her with a burning intensity in his eyes, and by "he" she didn't mean Davis. Smiling faintly, she shrugged her shoulders, "Downtime for me normally means working without interruptions here on the base. I did good to stay away yesterday and for most of today..."

"Oh," he said in realization, that made sense. Her job was very demanding. He, himself, used some of his time off to catch up. "How is your father doing?" He had met Jacob a few times before, and the retired general seemed like a decent guy... of course, it could have easily been his symbiote that was being so polite. With Tok'ra you never knew. But, he got the feeling that the elder Carter was just easy to get along with as his daughter was. And Davis considered Samantha Carter as a good friend, along with Teal'c, Doctor Jackson, and General O'Neill, although he got the impression that O'Neill wasn't thrilled when he came around; if only because that usually meant offical Pentagon business, or in other words, long and boring briefings. Paul himself wasn't that fond of them, although he did like being at the mountain. The atmosphere was a lot better there than at the pentagon, with all of it's stiff politicians who would kiss the backside of anybody for either money or votes. Which, was one of the biggest reasons he accepted being the liaison between the Pentagon and the SGC. "He was _in town_, right?"

"Yeah," she replied, sighing when she felt _him_ take his eyes off of her and look over at Davis. "He's doing good. In a few days he'll be coming back in, to discuss the alliance again in full detail."

"Well, it sounds like I'll be busy with work for awhile," the man replied with a smile. Anything that had to do with the SGC and off-world allies normally meant paperwork for him. "You too, General."

Jack grumbled something along the lines of "oh joy", to which the others at the table smiled. Sam's was very brief and as soon as it disappeared from her face the anxiety of being so close to him got the best of her and she pushed away her jell-o. "I think I'm going to head home," she announced, looking over at Daniel. "I've got a lot of things that need to be taken care of." Like, figuring out how I'm going to let Pete down gently.

Daniel smiled, knowing both reasons that she was leaving. He stood up along with her, "I'll walk you out."

"Don't worry about it, Danny boy," Jack interrupted, "I'll do it. Colonel Carter and I have to talk, anyway."

The man looked at her apologetically, wincing at the brief flash of panic in her eyes. "Are you sure?"

Jack nodded, "Don't worry about it Daniel."

"I can go with you," he replied, trying not to make it seem as if he was doing anything and everything to make it so that she didn't have to be alone with him. "I have a few things that I need to talk about with her, as well."

"If you don't mind, Doctor Jackson," Davis said, as soon as he had stopped talking, "I'd like to have a few words with you, myself. I'm sure General O'Neill and Colonel Carter have a lot of Tok'ra related things to talk about." That was his best guess anyway. Since Sam's father was a Tok'ra. "Is that alright?"

The archaeologist looked at Sam and frowned, "Yeah, that's fine. I guess. Call me though, Sam... I do need to talk to you."

She nodded, "As soon as I get home."

Then Sam left out of the commissary, Jack following behind her, and Daniel and Davis were left alone at the table. "So... you wanted to talk to me about something?"

**XXXX**

"Are you ok?" he asked, as soon as the two of them entered the empty elevator, away from prying eyes and ears. "You seem... distracted."

"I'm fine," she falsely assured him. "I just have a lot of things on my plate lately. With dad coming back and the new alliance... it's thought consuming."

"Not to mention planning a wedding is hard work," he added, almost nonchalant. If an outsider had been listening they wouldn't have noticed the hidden bitterness in his voice, but Sam did, and he meant for her to. For the most part, at least. "How is that going, anyway?"

She shrugged, "I haven't really had time to even think about a wedding. If anything has been done, Pete did it." Sam tried her hardest to put an underlying message into her statement, but he didn't catch it, and nodded simply. Trying her hardest not to sigh in frustration, she bit down on her lip and watched as the elevator inched its way up to the surface.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong, Carter?"

Holding in a snort, she nodded. "Everything is normal." Except for the fact that I love you, not my fiancé, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it, except leave him and hope you'll stop being a stubborn ass and notice me. "And... well, normal for me isn't really the norm for most. So, I'm as fine as anybody at the SGC can be."

"Hmm," he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets and avoiding eye contact with her. "You can talk to me, you know?"

The doors to the elevator opened, but she didn't move and neither did he. When he finally looked over at her, in anticipation of her response, she smiled coyly and tried her best not to sound insubordinate, "No... I can't." And with that, she left the elevator, knowing his mind was turning with confusion.

He'd figure it out soon enough.

At least. She hoped.

**XXXX**

"What is going on here?" Davis asked, not defining exactly what he was talking about. Not that he needed to, though. Daniel knew just what he meant. Sam and Jack.

"It's very complicated, Paul."

The Major smiled wryly, he liked Daniel, but he was not going to let the man run circles around him and treat him like a child who couldn't understand a complex explanation. He hadn't gotten to the pentagon on his looks, contrary to popular belief. "Just try me. I think you'll be surprised at how much I can understand."

"I didn't mean--"

"Doctor," the Major cut him off. "If you would please stop pretending as if I don't have eyes and can't see what's going on in front of me, I would appreciate that."

Daniel sighed, "You're talking about Jack and Sam?"

"Yes," the man clarified. "But I suspect you knew that from the start."

Well... yeah. "There's nothing going on, Paul."

"If they're breaking regulations then I need to know--"

It was Daniel's turn to cut the Major off, "They would _never_ do anything like that, Davis, and I know they would both be ashamed to hear that you even entertained the idea that they would."

If the man's words had been meant to cause the man to squirm and feel bad about himself, Daniel failed. "I'm not accusing them, Doctor Jackson. But, I have noticed things... I'm not a stupid man. I can see it. I know you can see it. I'm sure every single person on the base can see it."

"That doesn't matter, Davis. Like you said, there are regulations. They're both to devoted to the military to even consider breaking them, even though they seem to not have a problem breaking various others," Daniel explained. "There's nothing going on there... short of prohibited feelings."

"There are ways around the regulations." Davis said. "They know that, right?"

"Sure they do. But they're both to stubborn to admit how they really feel... short of that one time, and then it had been forced and played down, severely. And neither one of them would ever want to leave the SGC. There are some things in this world more important than happiness to them, and well, they're work is one of the very few. They know they're both needed here."

"You don't understand, Daniel," the Major told him. "There are ways around the regulations that they probably haven't even considered yet."

"What do you mean?"

The man shrugged, "Well... besides talking to the president in person, there are a lot of people who owe both of them favors, including myself and General Hammond. Hell, every person on this planet owes each member of SG-1 their lives... including Hayes. All they would have to do was ask themselves, or have somebody else do it for them. Somebody stupid enough to do it or somebody who owes them big time."

"And you owe them big time?"

"In more ways than one."

"You would talk to the president?"

"Not alone..." the man smiled slightly. "I know one man who would be willing to do anything for the two of them."

Daniel nodded, "Hammond."

"Well... him too. But, I was talking about you."

"Me?" Daniel questioned. "What makes you think the president would listen to anything that I said?"

"You did uncover the way to open the 'gate." Davis reminded him. "That's something big..."

"Well... yeah."

"I can get you to DC, easily."

"So let me get this straight," Daniel said, "you want me to fly to DC with you. Go to the president and ask him to suspend the fraternization regulations... I'm guessing for just the SGC?"

He shrugged, "It is kind of hard to carry on a relationship when you have to constantly lie to your significant other. And Hayes likes O'Neill and Carter. He'd do it, if he knew everything... You know there is a camera in the room where they did the Zatarc questioning?"

"You've seen it?"

"It's part of my job... well, not my job in specific. But, yeah. Don't worry though, I've put it away."

"So what was that beginning talk about?" Daniel questioned. "You knew the situation..."

"That was years ago, Daniel. I had to be sure."

"Well..." Daniel said with a sigh. "Like you said, I'd do anything for them... So, when do we leave?"

**XXXX **

Sam parked her bike on the side of the curb and kicked down the stand, sitting there for a few moments before she took the keys out and headed up to her house. The first thing she did when inside was straighten up, putting the large box she had carried down from the closet up, but only after she took the picture she had been smiling at the previous day out and setting it on the coffee table. She had a frame lying around somewhere, and there were no pictures of Jonas in her house, so why not?

After she had that done she went outside and checked the mail, frowning when she found a bill in her box, and nothing else. That was her luck. When she was done with that she brought her bike around back once more, since she wasn't going to be riding it anytime soon.

Then, she had nothing to do, and she didn't feel like reading, so she turned on the TV. It was still fairly early, only 1700 hours, and from what Pete had told her he wouldn't be there for hours, so she would be stuck with nothing to do until 2200, and although she would be bored out of her skull, sitting in front of the TV was much more appealing than breaking up with the man she was engaged to marry.

She flipped through the channels, but didn't find anything interesting. Then, remembering that she had promised Daniel to call as soon as she got home, a curse escaped her lips and she got off of the couch, headed for the phone.

He answered on the third ring, "Doctor Jackson."

"Hey, Daniel," she greeted, wincing slightly. "I forgot to call... I'm sorry."

There was a slight pause before he replied, "Oh... right. I guess I forgot too."

Sam was slightly taken aback, he had seemed adamant about talking to her earlier, and she had been sure that it had more to do than just to keep her from being alone with Jack. "What was it you wanted to talk about?"

Again, there was a pause. "Oh... you know. Stuff."

"You're with him, aren't you?"

"...Yeah..."

"Okay, well... call me later then, if you need to talk."

"Do you need to?" he questioned. She was the one dealing with having to break up with somebody, after all.

"I'll be okay, Daniel. I just need to focus on what I'm going to say to him, that's all."

"Alright, we'll call me when it's done."

"I will."

"Bye."

She said her goodbyes and hung up the phone with a sigh, leaning forward in her chair and running her hands through her short, unruly hair.

"What you're going to say to who?" a voice, instantly recognized as Pete's, called from the front door.

Sam looked up abruptly and saw him standing in the doorway, a travel bag in his hands and a suitcase sitting beside him.

Well... shit. This sucked.

He smiled at her and she could feel all of the color draining from her face. What was he doing here? He wasn't supposed to be back for hours. She wasn't ready for this. Not now. Not now.

"Are you okay baby?" he questioned, coming into the house, a concerned look on her face.

No she wasn't okay. This was too soon. She didn't have anything planned yet. How on earth could she break up with him now? She didn't know what to say. Not a clue.

Oh man. This was not good. Not good at all.

**XXXX**

**  
Authors Note: Heh, cliffhanger. Let me know what'cha think.**


	11. Take Off

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: Take-Off  
**

**Summary: One day, probably one day soon, Hammond was going to have to follow through with his promise, and buy back his soul.**

**Spoilers: Slight spoilers for Chain Reaction**

**Disclaimer: Not my show and not my characters. Only my plot.**

**XXXX**

"So let me get this straight," Jack stated, glancing between the two sitting in front of his desk. One of whom he knew very well, the other, only slightly. Both men shared the same look on their faces, one that plainly told him they weren't telling the entire story. And, he wanted to know what it was that they had felt necessary to leave out. "You need Daniel, an archaeologist, to return to Washington DC with you, and help you with your work?"

Davis nodded, "Yes sir."

Alright then... he still didn't get it. What on earth could Davis need Daniel for? He wasn't military and if it had to do with the Stargate, well, Jack would be the person to go to. Hammond, even. And George lived in DC, all Davis had to do was pick up a phone and not even dial an area code, and he could have his help. "...To help you with all sorts of complicated archeology things, I assume."

Neither man was stupid, so both saw that Jack was just fishing for more information. They had both expected him to be suspicious of their request. It's not every day the liaison between the SGC and the Pentagon asks for a doctor of archeology for help with his work, anyway. And it wouldn't have made any sense, if they hadn't thought it through. "Sir, I have to do a follow up of various archaeological finds that were a result of the Stargate program. I, myself, have only a very small understanding of the subject. Most of what I know about archeology comes from the History Channel, and I'm sure Doctor Jackson would be a lot more informative than a TV station."

"Right," Jack said, leaning forward in his chair and resting his elbows on his desk. "But I am still a bit confused as to why you are doing this, instead of... say, Daniel or somebody from Area 51."

Which was another thing that Davis had expected of O'Neill. "To tell you the truth, sir, I have no idea why it was me who was assigned to this particular... assignment. But, the fact of the matter is, general, my CO gave me a direct order to carry it out, and that is exactly what I am going to do." There it was. O'Neill would have to buy the excuse, because he, himself knew the rules of chain-of-command. He could have done the same with any of those underneath him, and they would have been obligated to follow through with the order. It was a part of the military, and Jack was a military man, through-and-through.

"I see..." there was a thunderous scowl on his face, put there because there wasn't a thing he could say to rebuke the man's explanation. Unless he called Davis' CO and questioned him about it... but then that would probably mean more paperwork for Jack to do, and... he trusted Paul enough.

"It is only two days, sir," Davis reminded him, shrugging his shoulders. "And if he was suddenly required back here at the SGC, all that you would have to do would be make a phone call and he would immediately be on a plane."

"Not to mention," Daniel added, jumping into the conversation, "the fact that with me being gone, it gives Teal'c and _Sam_ some much needed downtime." He watched as Jack's attention perked at the mention of Carter, and continued on, using his own tactic, much like Davis had. "Think about it... Teal'c hasn't seen his son, or Bra'tac, in almost two months, and he has been worried about them lately. I'm sure he would appreciate the opportunity to see them, even for only two days. And Sam's got a lot to deal with at the moment, with her father resurfacing after so many months and not liking..." he paused, catching himself from telling Jack that Jacob didn't like Pete in the slightest. "She has a lot on her mind, is all. I know she would enjoy a few days to just think. Without any interruptions."

The scowl on Jack's face deepened as he was forced to agree with his friend. He had noticed that lately both Carter and Teal'c had been detached, and he had assumed with Teal'c it was because they hadn't been in touch with the Jaffa Rebellion in more than a month, so that consequently meant he hadn't spoken with his son or the man who was like his father. With Carter, he didn't really have a clue. It could have had something to do with her father, he guessed, but he didn't think that was the complete truth. Possibly trouble with Pete?

He had noticed in the commissary that she had seemed indifferent when talking of him, and she had shied away from the subject fairly quick. Maybe there was trouble in paradise?

Jack snorted lightly at the idea. Wishful thinking, was all it was. There had been no indication from her or anybody else (namely, Daniel), to say that things weren't going so great for Carter and her fiancé. He had better quit while he was ahead, there was no reason in getting his hopes up, just to see them married by the end of the next month. Like he could do anything, anyway, if they were having troubles. He was still her CO and that wouldn't be changing for a long time.

But, still... he had noticed that she hadn't been completely there for the past few days. She seemed to be thinking of something else at all times, and that was both dangerous for her and dangerous for the base. What happened when she went into daydream mode while working on some doohickey in her office? Boom. And, it wasn't like the cop would even be there for her downtime. She, herself, had mentioned that he was in Denver and wouldn't be returning to Colorado Springs for awhile. Why not give her the time to think and Teal'c the time to see his son?

"Alright," he finally agreed. "But two days is it. I want him back her by the end of forty-eight hours."

There was a combination of "yes sir" and "of course, Jack" from the two men. He waved his hand, letting them know they could leave, and watched the two as they made their way out of the office. Leaning back in his chair, letting his back rest heavily against the padding, he let out a long, stressful sigh. One day, probably one day soon, Hammond was going to have to follow through with his promise, and buy back his soul.

**XXXX**

They had a little over an hour and a half until their plane left, after Jack had let them out of his office. Before they headed to Peterson, where their flight would be leaving from, they stopped by Daniel's apartment, where he grabbed a few outfits (including his most expensive suit) to bring along with him. Davis had assured him that he could crash at his house, where there was an extra room, rather than spending a fortune on a nice hotel room. His girlfriend would be there as well, but he promised that there would be no problem with him staying for a few days.

"What does she do?" Daniel questioned, after hearing about Davis' girlfriend, Meghan, for the first time.

"She's in the Air Force," the man replied. "Works at Bolling under the Judge Advocate General."

"A lawyer?"

Davis nodded.

"So she doesn't know anything about the SGC?"

"All she knows is I deal with classified information. She's military so she understands why I can't tell her what I do everyday and why I'm always heading out to Colorado Springs."

"Oh... is that hard? Not being able to tell her about it?"

"Sometimes it is. There are times, like after Antarctica, where I thought she deserved to know. Seeing her watch the news talk about asteroids and comets and satellites blowing up and believing it, for the most part, it's kind of frustrating that we're lying to everybody. But, then, I think about how much I have to deal with, knowing about the Stargate. I'm constantly wondering how things are going at the SGC, whether the earth is about to be blown up or over run by the Goa'uld. I don't want her to have those thoughts every five minutes. It's not fair to anyone to be scared for their lives, as well as the lives of everybody else in the world, all of the time."

"It burned at Sam to be dating Pete, and not have him know about the Stargate. She said that he could handle it, it wasn't fair that she had to keep the secret from him."

"Well, he obviously couldn't handle any secrets she kept from him," Davis sighed, as Daniel unlocked his apartment door.

"You know about the background check?"

"Flags went up in DC when he had that ordered. Everybody who knows about the Stargate program knows about the background check on her, and any background check done on anybody from the SGC or Area 51. It's a precautionary method. We can't have civilians knowing too much about you, or they might figure some things out."

"Like Pete did..."

"Yeah, he didn't handle the situation too well, and he was lucky to live to hear about what had happened. If Sam hadn't vouched for him, the man would probably be in jail at this very moment." Davis shrugged as Daniel walked into his bedroom to grab his clothes. "What about you, Jackson? Why don't you have anybody to obsess over whether or not to tell them of the SGC?"

"Everybody I fall in love with is either a Goa'uld or ends up dead." Daniel replied, emerging from his room with a duffel bag and a dress-bag, containing his suit. "Not to mention, captured by the Goa'uld."

"Have you spoken with the former host of Orisis? Sarah Garner?"

"Twice," the man supplied, heading back out of the apartment. "She's moved back to England and is trying to get on with her life. I don't think that's working out too well for her."

"She was offered a position at the SGC, was she not?"

"Only half-heartedly, we never expected her to agree. I'm sure the last place on the planet she wants to be is near a Stargate."

Davis nodded, "That is understandable."

"Well," Daniel said, locking his apartment door and turning to face Davis, "let's get this over with."

**XXXX**

"Sam?" Pete questioned, when she didn't reply. "Is something wrong?"

Yes. There is most definitely something wrong. You are here. Now. Too early. Go back to Denver for a few hours. "You're home early," she croaked out, coughing to bring her voice back to normal. "I thought you would be hours?"

He smiled at her, "I might have fibbed a bit..."

Oh. That's great. You lied. Wonderful. "This is a surprise." I hate surprises.

"That's a good thing, right?"

No. "Um... I'm just a bit caught off guard is all."

Pete nodded and proceeded further into the house, "What was it that you and Daniel were talking about? It sounded important... Does it have to do with the SGC?"

She shook her head, "It has nothing to do with work." Pete nodded and walked into the living room, sitting down next to her on the couch, a little bit too close for her comfort at the moment. Then again, he had no idea that she was running the different possibilities of their breakup through her mind, trying to weed out the bad ones, in search for the perfect words. All of the knowledge in her brain about the Stargate and Naqquadah generators and engines was doing her very little good at the moment, and she suddenly wished that there had been a course on how to break up with a guy at school, rather than shop.

"Well then," Pete said, "if it's not about work, what does it have to do with?"

Sam tried not to wince, but it was an immediate reaction that couldn't be stopped. She was so not ready for this. Not ready at all. "Listen, uh..." she cut her sentence short, deciding that was a bad idea and sighed deeply. There were precious little choices for her to pick from and she found herself taking the most used road. "We need to talk..."

**XXXX**

"So," Jack said with a sigh, standing in the middle of the 'Gate room, next to his bulky Jaffa friend. "You'll tell Bra'tac that I said hello and give Rya'c and Kar'yn a hug for me?"

"Indeed," Teal'c replied, as he watched the 'Gate being dialed. "I will."

"That's... uh, great. Give the young couple my best wishes, as well."

"I will," Teal'c repeated. "Tell Colonel Carter and Doctor Jackson I will see them upon my retun."

"Sure thing," Jack promised. "Have a good trip."

"Thank you. I will."

The Stargate kawooshed forward, and Teal'c bowed slightly towards Jack before taking off up the ramp and through the event horizon. Mere seconds later, the 'gate shut itself down and Jack was left standing alone in the embarkation room. With nothing to do and nobody to talk with. It was already nearing time for the day-shift to leave and night-shift to take over, and there were no teams leaving or returning until bright and early the next morning. Yup, he was going to get bored really quick.

He could go home and take a jog around the neighborhood... by himself. Or, he could go see a movie... by himself. Neither option sounded like very much fun to him, so they were quickly discarded. There was a heated pool at his gym, he could take a swim... alone. Or, he could just work out a little... alone. That didn't jump out at him either. He had his game boy and yo-yo on base, he could spend some time with the both of them... alone. Daniel had that Rubix cube in his office, that was time consuming. But, then again, he would still be all by his lonesome.

"Well, there's always paperwork," he sighed to himself as he turned to leave the 'gate room. He entertained the idea for a few seconds, before deciding against it and wondering why on earth he had even thought of it. "On second hand... maybe I'll go see Carter."

**XXXX**

**A/N: You guys thought that the breakup would be in this chapter, eh? Nope. Just another evil cliffhanger. **


	12. Endings and Beginnings

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: Endings and Beginnings**

**Summary: "...sometimes sorry just isn't enough."  
**

**Spoilers: None, I think. If there are any, they're too small to really matter.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, none of this is mine, except for the story line.**

**  
XXXX**

Pete's face nearly fell as she spoke those four, universal words. _We need to talk_ never meant good news, and in most cases, it lead to the end of relationships. He kept his composure, though, and forced a smile onto his face, "Talk?" he inquired, "What about?"

If the phrase hadn't tipped him off, the look on her face surely would have, because she was doing her best not to wince, and failing fairly miserably. Pete suppressed a sigh, telling himself that he was probably wrong, there was nothing wrong. It had something to do with her work. They would have to push the wedding back a week or so because she'd be off-world; or, maybe have to speed it up to a week or so sooner? Yeah. Sometime like that.

She gestured with her hands, and it was then that he noticed she wasn't wearing her engagement ring. Sure, he knew she didn't wear it when she was at work, it caused hazard situations; the ring was a bit loose and slipped off of her finger at times, and that couldn't happen while she was busy with her complex scientific machines and generators, or when she was in the field, it could catch the light of the sun and perhaps give away her position, or get in the way of her firing her weapon. He accepted that; didn't like it, but accepted it. She had to have been home for awhile though, because she had already changed out of her fatigues and was wearing jeans and a shirt, so why wouldn't she have put it on? In the second or so that it took for those thoughts to run through his mind, she had frowned deeply, and opened her mouth to begin her speech.

"You're breaking up with me," he stated, looking up from her bare finger to her face, in hopes of seeing a confused look on her face that would tell him she hadn't-- and would never-- even considered the idea. Instead, he saw her wince without trying to hide it, and she swallowed.

"Just..." she asked, "let me say what I need to say."

He nodded. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe she wasn't going to break up with him. Maybe... maybe this was all a bad dream. Or one of those alternate realities she was always ranting about. It was possible, even, that they had been kidnapped by an alien race that had them in a sort of matrix, and this wasn't actually happening. But, why would an alien race kidnap him? He hadn't been to the SGC in months and didn't have any reason to go there. Nor any desire. No, his best hope was that it was a dream or that he was wrong and his paranoia premature.

"I love you, Pete," she claimed, and he felt his heart break in two. That wasn't the _butterflies in the stomach _kind of love she was talking about. This was it. Crash and burn. "But... I'm not in love with you." She looked away from him and sighed, "This is all my fault, you're not to blame at all. I knew that there was no way I could ever... I just knew it wasn't going to happen between us, but I was selfish and I took advantage of your feelings for me, because I didn't want to be alone anymore. When you proposed, I almost said no, but I thought I could make myself love you... I'm sorry, but I can't. You deserve somebody better than I am. You deserve somebody who won't use you like I have." He could see her cursing herself for being so cliché, and she shook her head, her eyes downcast. "I wish that I could say I never meant for things to happen like this, but in some ways, I always knew it would. I'm sorry, Pete..." she reached into her pocket and pulled out the diamond ring that had once occupied her finger, "I can't marry you."

"All this time," he questioned, staring at the ring, but not taking it back from her, "and it meant nothing to you?"

Sam shook her head, "No, it's not like that Pete. I do have feelings for you, and God knows I wish that I could work through this, but, I just can't. The truth is, you're the first guy that's ever stuck around this long and that means so much to me..."

"But, I'm the wrong guy," he finished for her, finally taking the diamond out of her hand.

Another wince appeared on her face, and she didn't reply. That pretty much answered his question, and he nodded, looking away from her. "It's O'Neill, isn't it?" he questioned. "He's the reason you couldn't fall in love with me? You're already in love with him."

"...Pete..."

"You don't have to tell me," he informed her, getting up from the couch, "I already know. I guess I should have seen it before. He calls, says he needs you, and you're gone. Who cares about what else you had planned or who you'd be letting down to run to his side. I should have put two and two together. Not even police are that loyal to their bosses, and I've certainly never heard of anybody in the military thinking that highly of their CO." He shook his head, "I just didn't want to see it, I guess. I didn't want to admit to myself that you cared more about him than you did about me-- because, otherwise, you wouldn't have taken off like that, without explanation."

"That day at the restaurant?" she questioned.

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "I should have seen it then, it was so obvious. Not only O'Neill, the others too. They've always have and always will be more important in your life than I am, so why did I even bother?"

"I am so sorry Pete," she told him once more.

"I know you are," and that was the truth. He knew her well enough to trust that she hadn't wanted things to be like this. That didn't make it hurt any less, though. "But, sometimes sorry just isn't enough." He walked to the door, where his luggage was, and picked it up. "Goodbye, Sam."

As he headed out of the door, she stood up from the couch, "Wait," she called after him, making her way closer to the entrance to her house. "That's it?"

He turned to look at her, "What did you expect? Yelling? Cursing? You don't love me, Sam; there's nothing I can do to change that, and blowing up at you won't help me any. No, I'm not going to sink that low."

Sam sighed, "I've done that enough for the both of us, I guess..."

Pete didn't reply, he smiled sadly, turned away from her, and walked out of the house and down the street. Sam briefly wondered where he was going, without a car, until she watched him pull out a cell phone. Calling a taxi, more likely than not. She stepped back into her house, shutting the door, and turning to face her empty living room.

As she wondered how she had managed to screw her life over so horribly, something on the coffee table caught her eye. She walked towards it, and picked up the deep, cherry oak picture frame, smiling faintly at the picture held in between the glass and the plastic back. Things had been so much more simple back then, and she vaguely wished she could go back to those times; but with Daniel still descended.

She sat down on the couch, still looking at the people in the picture, wondering how on earth they could still manage to be so happy after all they'd been through. All the horrors they'd seen and all the pain they'd felt and even the terrible things they had done, and they still found the strength to be happy. What had changed since then?

While she contemplated the drastic changes in her life, the doorbell to her home rang. Sam looked over at the wood, thinking maybe Pete had come back, having came to his senses and realizing that she did deserve a good chewing out. Getting off the couch, rather hesitantly, she headed towards the door and looked out the peep-hole.

Only... it wasn't Pete. It was Jack. General O'Neill. Her CO. The man she was _in love_ with. The man she wasn't allowed to be in love with.

What on earth, or any other planet, was Jack O'Neill doing at her house?

Sam opened the door, standing in the frame, a questioning look on her face. "Sir?"

"I'm bored, Carter," he informed her. Which made sense. Why else would he be standing on her front porch, wearing those snug fitting, faded blue-jeans and that brown bomber jacket?

"Where's Daniel and Teal'c?" she inquired, stepping aside to allow him to enter. He did so, and stood in the foyer, looking around her house like he had no right to be there and had made a huge mistake, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket.

"T is off world, visiting the family, and Daniel went with Davis to DC to help him with his homework..."

"Daniel is in Washington?" Sam questioned, "What does Davis need him for?"

"No clue," he admitted with a shrug, "something to do with rocks."

Which meant, artefact's or other ancient finds. "How long is he going to be away, sir?"

"Two days... Do me a favor, stop calling me 'sir'."

"Sorry, it's a habit."

"So is smoking," he reminded her, "and that causes cancer."

"What you're saying," she questioned, "is that if I continue to call you sir, I'll get cancer?"

O'Neill shrugged, "I was just making an observation..." He looked around the house, "Hey, you got any food in this place?"

"Nothing that counts as a meal, but I think I've got some popcorn lying around," she shrugged. "I'm sure that I've got Halloween somewhere in the entertainment center, if you want to watch it." He said he was bored, anyway. And the easiest way to get rid of boredom was to watch a movie. Classics were even better. "Or, Psycho."

He gave her a strange look, almost as if he was surprised. "I never figured you the cult classic type."

"Oh yeah," she told him with a smile. "I'm a sucker for the black and whites, too."

"Huh, learn something new everyday," he mumbled, headed towards the entertainment center, looking through the movies that she had stacked up. She headed off towards the kitchen to start the popcorn, and to get away from him for a few moments so that she could think some things over.

Wasn't this an interesting turn in events? Ten minutes before and she was breaking up with her fiancé, now she was starting a bag of popcorn so that she and her CO could watch a scary movie together, alone... in the dark. Had somebody who didn't know them been filled in on the events taking place, and they would have claimed she was having a date. _Yeah_, she snorted, _if only_.

Three minutes and a bowl of popcorn later, and she found herself back in the living room. Might as well push all of her thoughts and burdens aside for a few hours and lose herself in a movie, it would be good therapy. She needed a break from thinking about Pete and the situation he caused, anyway. But, that might be a hard one to ignore, seeing as one of the main reasons for the situation would be sitting right next to her, in order to share the popcorn. Is that why she had opted for the one, big bowl? Hmm, she hadn't even paid attention.

He was sitting down on the couch, the empty Halloween DVD box on the coffee table, and the picture she had been looking at before he arrived in his hands. "When did we take this?" he questioned, holding it up for her to see. "I don't remember it."

Sam shrugged, "Neither do I. We had a lot of nights like that though, it could have been any one of them."

"It was a lot easier back then," he stated, "wasn't it?"

"Yeah," she admitted. "I almost wish it had stayed like that."

"I think it's Danny boy, he makes everything more complex."

She grinned and sat down on the couch, next to him, close enough for him to grab some popcorn when he wanted it, and far enough so that there was a few inches between them. "You wouldn't have it any other way, sir. And you know it."

"Carter," he warned, "what did I say?"

"I don't know who Carter is," she shrugged. "My name is Samantha..." thinking that over, she shook her head. "My name is Sam."

Jack smiled and reached out for a handful of popcorn, pushing the play button on the remote with his free hand. Sam sighed as the movie started and got up from the couch to turn off the lights, plopping down in her same spot, only to find that he had migrated closer and her thigh was touching his. Suppressing a shiver, she turned all over attention to the movie and ignored the way his arm kept brushing against hers.

She glanced at the picture frame that was sitting on the coffee table once more and smiled slightly. Yeah, things had been easier then, that wasn't something she was going to argue with. But, maybe things weren't as bad as she thought they were. Who knew, maybe this was the beginning of something better?

**XXXX**

**Authors Note: Sorry guys, I couldn't do the jerky Pete thing. I've done that one before. I had to play nice. Besides, Threads made me feel bad for him (not that bad, though... I still don't like him). Anyway, this could very well be the end of the story. I could either stop it here or continue on and explore other options. Don't know what they'd be at the moment, but chances are they'd eventually be very fluffy and full of ship. But, I could do either ending it with this chapter or going on further. It doesn't matter to me. Let me know what you think and I'll decide from there. If you want more, then I can write a few more chapters. If not, I think that this is as good a place to stop as any. Anyway, just tell me so.  
**


	13. Sleepless Nights

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: Sleepless Nights**

**Summary: But then again, things had never been _normal_ when it came to Jack O'Neill.**

**Disclaimer: Well, as with all the other chapters, this is not my show and these are not my characters. **

**Authors Note: Okay, you guys wanted more. I think there will be about two or three more chapters and then that will be it... so; on with the story then.**

**XXXX**

She ended up not paying all that much attention to the movie, which didn't come as a surprise to her. It occurred to her how strange it was that she was being so normal about the situation at hand. Here she was, newly single, after having just broken things off with her fiancé, and here she was watching an old movie with her CO. But then again, things had never been _normal_ when it came to Jack O'Neill. It was part of his luster, she supposed. One of the things that made him so unique.

It also occurred to her, sometime during the movie, that he hadn't made the effort to scoot over. He had to be cramped, because she, herself, was feeling a bit snug, but he had yet to move over. In fact, it seemed to her that he had actually come _closer_, sometime during the flick. She wasn't sure whether she was supposed to be glad for it, or concerned by it.

There was little talk during the movie. Of course, there were never great conversations going on at the same time as a movie, but they barely said five words to each other. Not that it was uncomfortable. The exact opposite, actually. It was a familiar silence, that surrounded and warmed both, something that they hadn't shared in many months. Just the ability to be together, and be close, knowing that they were centimeters away from crossing the line and breaking the regs, but knowing that neither would take that leap forward, so all would be well.

As the killer struck again, Sam reached for the ring hanging around her neck, amongst her dog tags. She fingered it, looking down briefly and catching a glimpse of the engraving on the inside. It was really a beautiful ring, only made more so by the sentiment behind it. It signified the love that her grandparents had felt for each other, a love that wasn't all together common in the current society. They had been married twenty-eight years when her grandfather had died, while Sam was still young. Her grandmother had never dated after that, her late husband was the only man she had ever loved, and the only man she would ever want. Two years later, the woman herself died, a victim of the same cancer that had taken her husband. It was tragic, but it was also romance, and that made it beautiful, in a manner of speaking.

Sam silently wondered if she would ever have that. True love, the kind that makes you forget that, indeed there are other fish in the sea. You've found the only one for you and you can't imagine life without that certain someone. The thought came to her, that maybe she had found that person, and he was sitting right next to her. He was, in fact, the main purpose for her leaving Pete. She couldn't imagine marrying him while she held such strong feelings for her commanding officer, a man she wasn't even allowed to look at in a romantic way.

As the credits rolled, neither moved from their spots. Sam, still drifting off in thought, had yet to notice that it was over, and Jack just didn't feel like moving. If he moved, he would have to go home. If he went home, he would be bored again. He didn't want to be bored. He didn't want to leave her house. He didn't want to leave her.

"So..." he mused, looking around the room with a sigh.

Suddenly brought back to reality, she turned to look at him, "So?"

"Good movie..." he stated.

"Yes, it was..." she agreed, fiddling with the ring around her neck once more. "Will you be heading home, then?"

"Only if I'm no longer welcome here..."

She looked at the clock, "I just figured, since it was getting kind of late, you might want to go home and get some sleep... You've got to be at work early in the morning."

"And you have the day off..." he re-informed her. "But, you're right," he stood up from the couch and sighed, "I have to be up early in the morning, and I should probably get to the house."

Sam smiled, knowing she had handed him the perfect excuse on a silver plater, and not feeling the lest bit sorry for it. The truth was she needed some time alone to think, and while it was nice that he had come over, because he was bored, she needed to sort things out before she told everyone of her choice, and she wanted the whole of the original SG-1 to be present when she did so. Which reminded her...

She had never called Daniel back, or Cassandra, for that matter. Now it was getting late in Colorado Springs, which meant it was even later in Washington. Cassie, she could call, but Daniel, he would have to wait until the morning. Sam was sure that he wouldn't mind, though. So, she picked up the phone, intending on a short, maybe five minute long, conversation, but knowing full well that it would last, at the very least, ten times that.

**XXXX**

The flight felt extremely long and was extremely bumpy, and Daniel was beginning to think that maybe he should have listened to Davis, and not ordered the fish. When they finally touched down in DC, he had never been happier to get off of a plane, and he and Davis left directly for the man's house, which was no more than fifteen minutes away from the base they had landed at.

Davis directed him to the guest room, where Daniel dropped off his things immediately, and then changed out of his "comfortable" clothes, and put on a pair of jeans and a nice shirt. It wasn't too hot outside, and he hadn't really brought anything cooler. "Our meeting isn't until tomorrow morning," the man had informed him earlier that day. "Bright and early, 0700 hours. It was the only free time he had, and even so, he had to cut his breakfast short because of it."

"He isn't going to laugh us out of his office, is he?" Daniel had questioned, wondering if this idea had been born of the smartest thought.

Davis gave him a slightly worried, slightly confident look, "I don't believe so, Doctor Jackson. I'm sure he will at least hear us out, he holds you in high regards, as well as the general and colonel."

"Yes," Daniel had agreed, "but we are still asking him to give us special privileges."

"And, the last time I checked," Davis had said in reply, "you, among the other members of the SGC, have saved the world, more than five times..."

There was no arguing with that. It was the truth, that they had saved the world on many occasions. And, although he would never take full-credit for the SG-1, they normally put in the most effort. Then again, they were normally the reasons that the earth needed saving, so it sort of balanced the two out, and made things even.

"I suppose so..."

"You don't have anything to worry about, Doctor Jackson." Davis had assured him. "The worst that he can do, is to say no."

The thing that Davis didn't realize though, was that saying no was probably going to send either Sam or Jack over the edge, and one or both would reach their breaking point. Either way, the answer being 'yes' or 'no', he was certain that the two would be together shortly. The thing about it was, whether it would be allowed or not.

**XXXX**

Cassie ended up keeping her on the phone for the lighter part of an hour and a half, questioning her about her break up with Pete and what she intended on doing now that it was over. Sam had simply informed the girl that it had been the right thing for her to do and she had no clue what the future held for her, and in some ways, she didn't really want to know. Other than that, they had chatted about other things, one topic being the fact that Cassandra would be visiting in a few days, and what they would be doing at that time.

When she hung up the phone, exhaustion took over. Even though she had obtained more sleep in the past few nights than she had in the previous week, she was extremely tired. There was nothing she could think of to explain it, except for all the lack of sleep catching up on her, and her stress making it seem much worse than it actually was. There was a simple and easy remedy for her tiredness, though, and Sam didn't hesitate in using it. She changed into her oldest, more loose fitting, clothes, and crawled into her bed, under the warmth of her covers, and within minutes she was out.

She didn't wake up until many hours later, and even then it was only due to the ringing of the telephone...

**XXXX**

"I just realized something," Daniel said the next morning, over an extremely early breakfast. He had been eating fruit loops and something had occurred to him that he had previously pushed into the back of his mind, and it was a big something.

"What is it?" Davis questioned, glancing at his clock. They had about forty-five minutes to get to the White House, which was ten minutes down the street, but from experience he knew that they should be leaving soon.

"Sam never called me back..."

"Why was Major Carter going to call you?" he asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Well..." the man replied, "she was planning on breaking things off with Pete last night."

"Maybe she just forgot to call," the major offered half-heartedly. Both men knew that Samantha Carter would never forget about something like that-- least she forget anything at all. It was just too important.

"So call her," Davis said.

"It's way too early for that," Daniel replied. "It's not even 0700 hours there, it's still late night in Colorado Springs."

"That is true," Davis agreed. "Call her later, then. Is it that big of a deal?"

"It's not more important than talking with the president, no," Daniel admitted with a sigh. "We should probably be heading down there anyway, shouldn't we? With all the security, it is going to take almost as long to get through there as it does the SGC."

"Just about," Davis informed him, getting up from his table and grabbing the dishes off of it. "Do you have everything that you need?"

Daniel looked down at the expensive suit he was wearing and then around the room, to make sure that he had all the things that he would require, which wasn't very much. He checked his pocket for his clearance card and nodded, "I've got it all..."

"Alright," Paul told him, smiling slightly, "let's get going, then."

**XXXX**

Jack slumped down on his couch, immediately upon returning home. What had he been thinking, showing up at her house like that? Why would she have wanted him there? He was her boss, for cryin' out loud. You just don't show up at your 2IC's house, much less if your 2IC is female. People already suspected things, the last thing either one of them needed was false accusations, and for her not just because of her work.

There was that slimly fiancé of hers, Pete. He didn't like the guy one bit. Who orders a background check on their girlfriend? Freaks. That's who. The type of guy who ends up stalking his ex. Somebody who is just a few fries shy of a happy meal.

To bad she couldn't see what he did. Pete was exactly the wrong guy for her. He had too much of a child like image, to go along with his "big bad cop" attitude. How he collared anybody was unknown to Jack. It must be fairly comical to watch him in act. The stalker cop arresting guys for doing the same damn thing he did, only months prior. Yeah, that was a hoot.

It occurred to Jack that he was being extremely jealous, but he didn't care much. It wasn't like there was anybody around to know he was brooding, anyway. So he could just sulk all he wanted. And, he surely had the right to. The only woman he could imagine himself with was getting ready to pledge all her love to a freaking idiot, and there was nothing he could do about it. At least, nothing that wouldn't get him thrown out of the military.

Perhaps he could send her to a random planet for a couple of months. Somewhere nice and warm, where she could work on her tan and swim in the ocean everyday. Just for enough time to get the guy to forget about her and move on to somebody else. That might work...

There was only one major flaw in his plan, besides the fact that she could make her way home fairly easy, even if he crashed the DHD. With somebody as wonderful as Samantha Carter, there was no way anybody could get over her and move on. He knew he couldn't.

He sighed, lying on his back, on the couch in his living room. He was such an idiot, going over her house uninvited like that. She had probably only let him in because he was her boss and she didn't want to get a crap assignment. Not that he could ever do something like that to her.

But, then again... she hadn't really acted as if she hadn't wanted him there. Save for her telling him to go home, which he could understand. It was late and he did have to go to work in the morning. Moreover, it wasn't exactly professional for him to be there. But that was besides the point. He had been sitting very close to her on the couch, for more than one reason. For one, he wanted to be close, for two, he was subtly testing her. And she had passed. She hadn't shied away. And that was a good thing. He hoped.

Jack sighed and closed his eyes, hoping to fall asleep, but such was a fleeting memory. He couldn't recall when the last time he slept through the night was, and he was starting to get the sinking suspicion that tonight would be no different. If anything, it would be worse, due to all of the thoughts bouncing around in his mind. He wasn't a stupid man, but neither was he smart, and all the thoughts running loose in his head were only confusing him further.

Getting up off of his couch, he headed towards the kitchen and the coffee pot that was in it. If he wasn't going to be sleeping, he might as well get the next best thing. Daniel's stash of coffee.

**XXXX**

**  
A/N: Well, let me know what'cha think. **


	14. House Calls

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: House Calls**

**Summary: The clock ticked closer and closer to 0700, and Daniel's breath was beginning to catch in his chest.**

**Disclaimer: The show and the characters are not my property. I do not claim them as my own and I do not make any profit off of my use of them. Also, I do not own (though I wouldn't mind it) the Hummer car.**

**XXXX**

Daniel wasn't sure if there was ever a moment in his life where he had been so nervous. Sure, he had faced Goa'uld after Goa'uld, each time with it's own dangers and consequences, and he had stared into the face of death many more times than any man should in his life, most of the times actually dying. And yeah, he had been captured by various different hostile alien races, facing imminent death... but this was _the president. _Head of State, himself. And Daniel was about to waltz into his office and ask him to do a favor for him. Ask him to _break the rules_ for him.

Sam and Jack had better get him a damn expensive present for his birthday. No scratch that. _Two_ very expensive presents. One from each of them. And Davis! Oh... he had better buy him a new car, or something.

At that time, he was attempting to hide the nervous twitch of his leg, well aware that the president's secretary, a very good looking red head that looked in her mid-thirties, was, for a lack of better words, checking him out. He placed his hand over his ankle, holding his shaking leg in place, and smiled sheepishly at the woman, who grinned back at him.

Yep. He deserved at least a Hummer for this. If not, then two. One black, the other yellow. Maybe one of them a Hummer Truck. Yeah...

The clock ticked closer and closer to 0700, and Daniel's breath was beginning to catch in his chest. There was no way that this was real. He had to be dreaming, or something like that. Stuck in some alien false reality. Those never made sense. Because this didn't make sense to him. He was sitting outside the president's office... there had to be something fishy about this.

Five minutes and counting. Maybe something serious would happen... and the president would be forced to cancel the meeting. Something liken to a war or bombing, as harsh as it sounded. That way there was no chance he would go through with the meeting, and maybe then he would forget about it all together and Daniel could go back to the SGC, like nothing had happened.

And maybe he was being childish with his irrational fears and wishes. It wasn't as if he was going into that office for him. He was doing it for two of his best friends, who didn't deserve what they were being put through. He was being selfish, and not thinking about the reason he was getting ready to make a fool of himself. Jack and Sam loved each other, and it just wasn't fair, what they were going through.

Two minutes left. Just one hundred and twenty seconds. That was all. Daniel briefly wondered whether Davis was expecting him to do all of the talking, or would be doing it himself. Then again, he was probably the closest person to both Sam and Jack on the planet, so he assumed he would be the one to explain. That was just peachy.

Sixty seconds... fifty nine... fifty eight... fifty seven.

A speaker crackled, and a muffled voice filled the air. At the same time, Davis and Daniel looked over at the secretary's desk, in anticipation. The woman nodded, seemingly to herself, and looked up at the two of them. "Major Davis... Doctor Jackson, he's ready to see you."

Daniel looked over at the clock. No. This was all wrong. He still had forty three seconds left.

Davis sighed nervously, which made Daniel feel a bit better, because at least he wasn't alone in his worries, and stood up. Following suit, Daniel got up from th e plush chair and headed towards the door, where the secretary was standing waiting for them. She opened the door for the two and stood to the side, as to let them pass into the Oval Office. As Daniel walked by her, she smiled once more, peeking behind him briefly, in a move Daniel knew well. He sighed, wondering if he would ever be able to go somewhere without having a woman (or man... Daniel shuddered at the thought) check out his backside.

When both were in the office, she closed the door, nodding towards the president. Daniel followed Paul into the office, and when the Major stood by his chair, waiting to be allowed to sit, Daniel did the same. President Hayes smiled slightly and informed them that they could sit, if they wanted, and the two men did as they were told.

"So," he began, crossing his arms over his chest, and leaning back in his large, leather chair. "What could be important enough to bring the liaison between the pentagon and SGC and the main archaeologist of the SGC to my office at 7 o'clock in the morning?"

"Well... uh, sir..." Davis began, searching his brain for the correct wording.

Seeing that neither of them were going to get very far stumbling through sentences like a school-boy with a crush, Daniel spoke up, figuring that being blunt would probably best in the situation. "We have a favor to ask of you, Mr. President."

**XXXX**

Sam grumbled, hanging up the phone and turning around in bed. Stupid telemarketers. It was only 0700 in the freaking morning, did they never sleep? With a sigh of discontent, she hid her head under a pillow, forcing out the sunlight that was streaming in through the window on the opposite side of the room. Within a few minutes, she began to feel herself drifting off once again, and not even five minutes after that she was sleeping peacefully.

But then, only an hour later, the shrill, annoying ring of her telephone brought her back to the world of the waking. Grumbling to herself, she reached around to find where she had thrown the phone. It wasn't on her nightstand, and she couldn't feel it anywhere on the bed, so she extended her arm out far enough to reach the floor, fumbling around, trying to make contact with the plastic device. On the third ring she found it, clicked it on, and brought the receiver to her ear. "Carter..." she greeted sleepily, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Thank God," a worried voice said at the other end, "Colonel. I have been trying to call for half an hour."

Straining her mind, she sorted through the list of men she knew, because the voice was clearly male. It wasn't Daniel, Teal'c, O'Neill, Davis, Siler, or Harriman... and definitely wasn't Felger, because she would have already hung up in that case. Giving up, she decided to question the identity of the man on the other end, "Who am I speaking with?"

The caller paused, "It's Doctor Newman..."

Doctor Newman... Oh, the new Physicist. Right. "What is it, Doctor?"

"I don't know!" he cried out. "That is why I called you."

Confused and still very sleepy, Sam sat up in her bed, and rested her back against her pillows. "Excuse me?"

"The device that SG-2 brou--"

"May I remind you that we are not on a secure line, Doctor," Sam said curtly.

"Oh, yes," Newman said sheepishly, "I am sorry. I know that it is your day off, Colonel... but I think it is going to blow up."

"What is?" she inquired, stepping out of the bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. It didn't seem likely that she would be getting back to sleep that morning, so she might as well wake herself up completely.

"Ma'am, I can't really explain it over the phone..."

"Brief descriptions, Doctor."

"Right... small, oval, red and purple blinking lights all around it. At the moment, a continuous ticking..." the doctor's voice was nervous and Sam realized, extremely worried. "It won't cause much damage if it blows, Colonel, but we will not be able to find out what it is and what it does, were it to do so. Nobody here can seem to figure it out."

Sam remembered the device. SG-2 had brought it back from P4A-227 five days prior. She had glanced at it briefly a few times, but never really had the chance to look at it in full detail. Now she wished she had taken the time. "How long has it been ticking?" she asked, heading over to her bureau, grabbing a pair of jeans and a shirt to change into.

"Maybe five minutes."

Sam sighed, looking at her clock once more, and wishing she was still in bed, asleep. "I'll be there in less than half an hour. Call me on my cell phone if there are any changes in the situation before I get there... and get that thing into a secluded area. Even if it doesn't do much during explosion, it could still cause damage."

"Yes ma'am," he paused, "thank you, ma'am."

"Don't thank me yet, Doctor. I haven't done anything yet..."

"Right... Goodbye, Colonel." Newman hung up the phone and Sam did the same with hers, throwing it haphazardly onto her bed, and pulling off her pajamas to change. Less than ten minutes later, she grabbed her keys and locked up her house, jumping into her car and speeding off down the road.

So much for downtime.

**XXXX**

During the night, he had consumed six cups of the stash of extra-strength coffee Daniel had left at his house. The man had complained years prior, at a team meeting, that the brand of coffee Jack usually bought was terrible and there was no way he would be able to drink it, so Jack had told him to buy his own and bring it over, and he would keep it there just for him. It seemed as if that had been a bit of a fib, but to his credit, Jack had only done such once before. And that was under extreme circumstances that he really didn't want to remember.

When the sun began to rise over the horizon, turning the sky a magnificent orange, Jack ventured onto his back deck and took his temporary insomnia to use. After watching the sunrise, he headed back inside and showered, then poured himself another cup of coffee and got ready for the work day. It was going to be a very boring day, as far as he was concerned. Nobody was going to be there for him to procrastinate with. Daniel was in DC with Davis, doing his homework for him, as Jack had decided, and Teal'c was visiting on Chulak, and then there was Carter, who he had ordered to take downtime. Yep... he was in for a dull, dull, dull day.

Or so he thought.

It was a few minutes before 0800 when the frantic technician knocked hurriedly at his door. Some new scientist had managed to turn on some kind of bomb and now he had no idea how to stop it. According the the young woman, the explosion, were it to occur, would not be dangerous, and the debris would more than likely cause more damage than the path of the explosion. Still, it could be dangerous, and it would be better that the device not blow up.

And so the day began. Not knowing what the best thing to do would be, told the technician to get the alien doohickey out of whatever office it was in, and hide it away in some empty room on Sub-Level 16, unaware that at that very moment, his 2IC was telling Doctor Newman the exact same thing, only in a less select manner. The woman scurried off and Jack leaned back in his chair, sighing to himself.

So much for a boring day.

**XXXX**

Sam pulled into an open parking space and let out a sigh as she shut off her car. She pulled out her cell-phone, along with the number Newman had called from, and silently thanked the man, or woman, who invented Caller ID. Dialing quickly, she put the phone to her ear and waited for it to be picked it. When it was, she was relieved to hear Doctor Newman on the other end.

"Doctor, it's Colonel Carter. I am at the SGC now. Where is the device at currently?" she headed into the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, showing the uniformed guards her clearance.

"Level 16, in the second room on your right, as soon as you exit the elevator." the man replied. "It is still ticking away, although, the ticks are becoming more and more frequent."

Holding back a snort, Sam told him goodbye and hung up the phone. Of course the ticking was becoming quicker, it was a bomb, _most likely_, and most bombs did that. Not letting her annoyance get the best of her, she got into the elevator and made her way to sub-level 16, whereupon she hurried down the corridor and into the room Newman had claimed the "bomb" was in.

To her surprise, when she entered the room, Newman wasn't the only one inside. Along with him was a younger woman, a technician, she recognized, and also, General O'Neill. He looked at her, smirking slightly, and she could feel her cheeks redden under the gaze.

"Colonel," he questioned, "shouldn't you be on--"

"Downtime, sir?" she said for him. "Yes, sir." Ending the conversation with that she went to work with the alien device, doing her best to ignore the comments that Newman was making, concerning what he believed the device was and how long he thought it had before it blew. For all the knew, it wasn't even a bomb, and the man was completely over-reacting. But, seeing it again, Sam doubted that such was the case.

This was a bomb, or some kind of weapon, and sometime soon it was going to go off. And she had no way of knowing when it was going to do so, or how to stop it.

**XXXX**

**A/N: Ah! School is out for summer! Woot! Hopefully this means updates will be more continuous. Anyway. Let me know what'cha think.**


	15. Explinations

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: Explinations  
**

**Summary: Nothing left to do now but wait for his reaction. And hopefully return to Colorado Springs with good news.**

**Disclaimer: Well, most of it isn't my property. I stake claim to a few, unimportant characters, i.e. the presidents secretary and Doctor Newman, but other than that... nothing.**

**  
XXXX**

She studied the device, while everybody else studied her. After a minute or so of having the eerie feeling of people watching her, she looked up, the expression on her face annoyed, and asked, "You think I could have a little room to breath in here?"

The technician and Newman seemed to get what she was saying, and left, albeit very reluctantly. O'Neill either didn't get the subliminal question of "please leave the room" or he just wouldn't go. When she keep looking at him, the look on her face even more annoyed than before, he shrugged his shoulders. "Just act like I'm not even here, Carter," he told her, causing her to sigh.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, since she had no clue how long they had left, she went back to her examination of the device. As the doctor had described, it was fairly smile, and oval shaped, with red and purple lights blinking. Sam thought it odd that there were purple lights, she had never before come across that before, and she briefly wondered if it meant anything of importance. The ticking was loud and obsessive and going at a rate of about sixty times a minute, one per second.

There was a panel on the right side, Sam assumed that was where the wires were, seeing as there were no other panels or grooves on the "bomb". She took a flat-edged screw-driver from the kit that was already in the room when she arrived, and worked on getting the top of the panel off of the device. Pushing the edge of the screw-driver into the groove, she lifted it up, and heard the pop of the top coming off slightly. She worked the driver around the entire square panel until it came off entirely, exposing a mass of purple, red, blue, and white wires.

Breathing deeply. She looked up at her CO, suddenly feeling unsure of herself. He gave her a nod of encouragement and she held her breath, turning her attention back to the object in front of her. Praying that she wasn't making a mistake, she inched closer to cut the first wire.

**XXXX**

Davis almost winced at the informal tone of the archaeologists voice. Here was a man who had negotiated numerous treaties with nations both on the planet or off-world, a man who had made nice with hundreds of alien races, who somehow managed to fix the things that General O'Neill managed to screw up, and he was talking to the president as if he was an old friend. It didn't seem like the smartest thing to do, if you asked him.

"A favor?" the president questioned. "On behalf of whom?"

Recognizing the question as a way to see if Daniel was there for vain purposes, Davis jumped in to answer the question. "Not just one person, in particular, Mr. President. But, mostly for General O'Neill and Colonel Carter."

"The CO and 2IC of Stargate Command..." the president mused. "What could you possible have to ask me that concerns the two of them, amongst many others?"

Sitting back, Davis let Daniel answer that question. The doctor's Adam apple jumped as he gulped, and Davis knew exactly how he felt, this was extremely nerve racking. "Well, Mr. President, sir... it's a very complicated issue, really. But... ah, we were... wondering..." he paused, to regain his composure, in order to stop stumbling through his sentence like a drunkard. "The reason we are here, Mr. President, is to request that the fraternization regulations for the SGC be dropped." There. He said it. It was out on the table. Nothing left to do now but wait for his reaction. And hopefully return to Colorado Springs with good news.

**XXXX**

She paused, the pliers shaking in her hand, and took a deep breath. Inching the tool forward, she hoped that she was right, and that by snapping the purple wire she wouldn't blow the device up, consequently doing some damage to herself. With unsteady hands, she slowly clipped the wire, letting the breath she was holding in out when nothing blew up. She could sense him looking over her shoulder, but at the moment it was the last thing she was worried about. After a few seconds of nothing happening, she moved to cut the second, purple wire.

Again, nothing happened. Nothing blew up, nor did the ticking stop. There were two more purple wires, and hopefully after those two were gone, the ticking would stop. If that even meant the device was off, of course. Another wire, another few seconds of waiting, and then she moved towards the last. With a deep breath, she snapped it, and then waited. Milliseconds later, the ticking stopped, and the purple lights stopped blinking. The red lights, however, were still going at full force.

There was only one red wire, and Sam hoped that meant that it only controlled the lights, so she snapped it, and the lights went off.

"That's it?" O'Neill questioned from directly behind her. She jumped slightly at the sudden noise, and turned around to glare at him.

"Yes, sir. That's it. There was really no need to call me in for this..." she sighed and set down the pliers. "May I return home, now?"

O'Neill nodded, "You can do your report when you return... Are you sure that's it?"

She turned back around and looked at the so called bomb, and nodded, "Yes, sir. It wasn't very advanced, and the level of technology is about twenty or so years behind ours. The main thing was knowing which wires to cut."

"And you knew because?"

"I have never seen a bomb made with purple lights, or wires for that matter, before. I just took my gut feeling and ran with it, sir."

"I see..." he sighed. "You're dismissed, then, colonel."

"Thank you, sir," she brushed past him and out the door, headed for the elevator. He was right behind her, and as they left she heard Newman and the tech rush into the room to see what had happened. Boy would he feel like an idiot when he knew how easily it had been disarmed. Sam shook her head and entered the elevator, holding the door open for O'Neill, who was only a few steps behind her.

He was going down a few levels, but Sam didn't mind having to wait. It was easier doing it that way, than to have him stand by the elevator on Sub-Level 16 for twenty minutes until her elevator got back, and that was only if it was intercepted before returning back to 16. They rode in silence for the entire trip down to Sub Level-20, and when the elevator stopped he turned to her and smiled, "See you when your downtime is over, Carter."

She nodded, knowing that was his way of telling her to stay off of the base until she was done with her time-off, "Yes, sir."

"Good. Have a good day."

"You too, sir."

O'Neill nodded and left the elevator, and when nobody else boarded, Sam started to the trip back to the surface. She leaned against the back of the elevator and sighed. Maybe she could catch another few hours of sleep when she got back home...

**XXXX**

The president was quite for a few minutes, and Daniel and Paul held their breath until he finally spoke up again. "Just how does the fraternization regulations have anything to do with Colonel Carter and General O'Neill?" he asked calmly. "They've not been--"

Daniel wasn't sure if interrupting the president was the smartest thing in the world to do, but he did it anyway. "No sir," he assured the man. "They would never disregard the rules in such a way, Mr. President."

"Then why were the two brought up?" the POTUS inquired.

"Sir," Davis interjected, since the question had been asked of Daniel. "If I may..." he paused and the president nodded. "I would like to consider myself a friend to both General O'Neill and Colonel Carter, although I do not pretend to know near as much about them as Doctor Jackson does. But, one thing is apparent to all who spend even the smallest amount of time with the two. They harbor strong feelings for each other, perhaps even love. But, because of the fraternization regulations, and their positions at work, they are forbidden to have a relationship. Maybe there would be good reason for this in any other situation, but at the SGC things are much different. They risk their lives on a daily basis, doing things most of the world couldn't even imagine, and because of that everyone who works there are extremely close. As much as they know, the people that they _travel_ with may very well be the last people they ever see. So, in many ways, all who are a part of the SGC are compromised. They would do anything for the team-members already, so there really isn't a reason to be worried about two who are in a relationship putting themselves in danger for their significant other, because they already put themselves in danger for each other."

Slightly shocked at Davis' observations, Daniel coughed and jumped into the explanation, "Sir, I am the closest person on this earth to both Colonel Carter and General O'Neill. I have seen their feelings grow for each other, from extreme dislike to, well... love. I have also seen them struggle with their feelings because of the simple fact that they are not allowed. In my opinion, holding the way they feel for each other in may cause more damage than being in a relationship would. And, sir, we are not here just for General O'Neill and Colonel Carter. I, myself, know that it is incredibly hard to maintain a relationship with somebody outside the SGC. No matter what the situation, a relationship built on a lie just will not work. Now, there are few who have been able to maintain a relationship, but most of them were already married by the time they began their work at Stargate Command, and their relationships are strained. It's not fair to ask these people to risk their lives everyday for the entire planet's safety, and then turn around and say that they cannot have feelings for somebody they may work with. These people are the only reason this planet is still here, I think that they deserve at least the chance to be in love."

The president sat back, taking both speeches in, his face expressionless. Daniel assumed that, in his line of work, he had learned to keep a straight face fairly quick. In his experience, he knew that sometimes the way you appear gives off your thoughts, and that can be at times a bad thing.

"Sir," Daniel continued, wondering if he was pressing his luck. "Jack and Sam have saved the world more than a handful of times, and they've been rewarded very few times before, but that doesn't matter to either one of them. The truth is, they love their jobs. The only reason they won't admit their feelings is because they _love _their jobs as much as they do. Neither one of them can imagine doing anything different than what they are doing, and saving the world is more important to them than having a relationship. They've each sacrificed so much already and I think it's due time they've gotten something back. The same with all of the men and women at the SGC. They deserve something for all that they have done."

"What about you, Doctor Jackson?" the president questioned. "Do you have any reason for being here?"

"Other than seeing my two best friends finally happy?" he asked. "No. Even if I was interested in somebody at the SGC, the frat regs don't apply to me. I am not military."

Hayes nodded, knowing that it didn't apply to Davis, as well, since he worked at the pentagon. He had to admit, he was impressed with the two men before him. Doing what they did took an extreme amount of courage, or stupidity. Perhaps devotion. They seemed truly genuine in their statements, and it wasn't the first time he had heard of feelings between O'Neill and Carter. General Hammond was now a close, personal friend, since he had moved to Washington, and the two occasionally chatted about things that went on at the SGC. It seemed even George was rooting for the two.

But this was something big, he admitted. Even though the SGC was a top-secret organization, if it ever came out that the fraternization regulations were suspended for them, there would be questions as to why it was only them, and not everything else. "This is going to take quite a deal of thought," Hayes finally replied.

"Nobody is rushing you, Mr. President."

Daniel nodded in agreement.

"I have meetings to attend to during the day, but if the two of you will return at 2000 hours, I will have my answer."

The two nodded, "Yes, sir. We can do that."

"You are dismissed," Hayes informed them, and Daniel and Paul got up from their chairs, their legs a bit wobbly from both sitting for so long and worry.

Well, it wasn't anything like he had expected. But, it had gone fairly well. Daniel just hoped that it would go just the same that night.

**XXXX**

Sam hadn't been able to fall back asleep, but that hadn't been such a surprise to her. When she got home, there were no messages on her machine, which also hadn't been a surprise to her. Since she had nothing to do, she got her bike from the backyard once again and took it out for a ride around the town.

She ended up back at the lake she had gone to on her first day of downtime. It was peaceful and quiet and exactly what she needed. A break from the hectic life she had when at the SGC.

As she sat on the dock of the lake, she wondered about where Daniel was at and what he was doing. All the general had said was that he had gone with Davis to D.C. to help him with his "homework". That didn't make any sense to her, what on earth could Davis need Daniel's help for?

And why hadn't Daniel told her he was leaving?

**XXXX**

**A/N: Well... you know what to do. Review!**


	16. Secrets Told

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: Secrets Told  
**

**Summary: Sam had left Pete. And she had done it because of him...**

**Disclaimer: Nuh-uh, not mine.**

**XXXX**

When she returned home at around 1600 hours she attempted to call Daniel, but there was no answer on his cell phone. Understandable, she guessed, since he was probably roaming, and to top it off it being daytime minutes, so even if he was available he might not answer. But then again, considering the fact that it was her, and knowing that she normally didn't call during those hours anyway, he probably would have, just in case it was an emergency. She sighed when he didn't pick up the second time she called, and then hunted around her house for Davis' number. The man had supplied it to the Hammond years back, and Sam had needed to get in touch with him once, so she knew she had it on a piece of paper somewhere. She rarely ever got rid of important numbers.

After fifteen minutes of searching, she found it in her desk, and called. A woman answered, and informed Sam that no, Daniel was not there, and neither was Paul, but he should be returning sometime soon. Sam gave her directions to have Daniel call her back, as soon as he could, and hung up. It was after 1800 hours there, why weren't them home yet? And, she was still confused as to what Davis needed Daniel's help for. Not much an archeologist could do at the pentagon.

What on earth, or any other planet, could those two have up their sleeves?

**XXXX**

It was nearing 6:30 in D.C. and Daniel was getting tired of ignoring his friends phone calls. "Why don't you just answer the phone?" Davis asked, after she called for the second time.

"Because," the man explained, "I'm a fairly good liar when I have to be... if it's the fate of the world hanging in the balances, or even if I'm just lying to Jack." He sighed, "But when it comes to Sam, I'm horrible at lying. Not only can she see right through me, but I feel awful not telling her the truth. It's sad, I know... but not many people can sneak a lie past her."

Davis smiled a bit, but held back his laughter. He knew how Daniel felt, of course. He could get nothing past Meghan, and that had only a little to do with the fact that he loved her. She was a lawyer, and incredibly smart, and could spot a lie from a mile away. It was quite frustrating. "I think it has something to do with the fact that they're women," he said finally. "They've got some kind of internal radar, or something, that tells them when men aren't being exactly truthful."

"Makes sense," Daniel sighed.

"Why not just turn your phone off?" he questioned. It seemed like a smart thing to do.

"Because, if it's something serious, like I don't know, another Goa'uld trying to take over the world, or an asteroid headed for earth, then she'll call at least one more time... and Jack would as well. So, I'm waiting on that call, just in case." He shrugged and looked down at the phone, "But if she was going to call back, she would probably have called back by now."

"Well, we have another hour to kill, we've already eaten lunch and gone to most of the monuments... What would you like to do now? We could go and see the Declaration..."

"Yeah," Daniel agreed. "Ok, that should take up some time."

**XXXX**

"So, you still haven't told anyone?" Cassie questioned, later that night when Sam caved in to loneliness.

Sam shook her head, though she knew the girl at the other end would not see her do so, "I want them all to be there when I do, or maybe I'm just putting it off until Daniel gets here because I'm a... Never mind, I don't know."

"No, go ahead and say it... You're afraid?" Cassie paused, waiting for an answer. When she got none after nearly a minute, she continued on with the questioning. "Afraid of what, Sam? Or, maybe I should say, afraid of _whom_?"

Nearly scowling at the college student through the phone, Sam got up from her chair and unconsciously began to pace. "I'm not afraid," she denied, although that was what she had been about to say. "Really. I'm not. I'm just confused by this whole situation and I don't know, I guess I'm not sure how they're going to react..."

"Sam, they're not going to care what you decide," Cassie informed her, "as long as you're happy."

Sighing, Sam nodded into the phone. Yeah. She knew that. "I'm not sure," she joked, "I think Teal'c was looking forward to finally marrying me off..."

"Haha," Cassie replied sarcastically. "I think that Teal's not the one you're worried about."

"Cassandra," she warned. "Don't–"

"You're wondering what Jack's reaction is going to be," the younger woman told her. "After all the things that you've been through while you were with Pete, and the strange openness that you two had because you were engaged, you're starting to think about what he's going to do when he finds out that you really didn't want Pete that entire time and finally got rid of him." Sam could almost hear the girl smile through the phone, "I know you. You're worried about it." There was a pause, "Or maybe... about what you're going to say when they ask why you broke up with him..."

Sam was sure her face lost all it's color. Crap. She hadn't even thought about that. What would she say to them, should they ask about why she left Pete? "I... Thanks a lot, Cass, now I'm getting paranoid."

"Ok," the girl admitted, "maybe I was right the first time. You don't know what you're going to say to them?"

There was a pause from Sam's end of the phone, and then a deep sigh, "No... I have no idea."

**XXXX**

He was sitting at his desk, miles underneath the surface, doodling the different cast members of The Simpsons, at the moment Maggie, when his cell phone rang. Not the red phone, and not his regular base phone, his cell phone. Slightly confused, which wasn't all that new for him, he pulled the device out of his pocket and looked at the Caller ID. **Shanahan, Pete. **

...Why the hell was he calling his phone?

Now even more confused than before, he answered the phone, putting it up to his hear. "O'Neill," he greeted, going over the reasons the man would be calling in his mind. Finding none.

"She broke up with me," the man on the other end said. "She hasn't told you yet, I'm sure. But, she broke up with me."

Jack was a bit stunned, not only by what the man was telling him, but the fact that he had called to let him know. Why would he do that? "And... you're telling me this, because?"

"She broke up with me, because of you," Pete replied. "I just thought you should know– since she's probably not going to tell you that." There was a pause, "Goodbye, Jack."

Before he could say anything back, the phone line went dead. Shutting off his phone, Jack dazed off, thinking about what the man had said. Sam had left Pete. And she had done it because of him...

**XXXX**

There were fifteen more minutes until 2000, and Daniel Jackson and Paul Davis were finally being let through security in the White House, sitting in the same two seats they had that morning, waiting on their appointment. The red haired secretary from before was once again watching Davis and Daniel with interest, and both men were doing their best to ignore her. It didn't seem to do them any good, however, because she kept right at it. Daniel briefly wondered if she ever got out of the office at all, or if they were just such a drastic change from the old politicians who came through that she was having her fun for the year.

They talked silently for a few minutes, about nothing in particular. The things they had done that day. Daniel had been to D.C. before, on business every time, and hadn't gotten the chance to see much of anything in the city. Once he had made time to go to a few museums, but never the big things. While they killed time that day they had gone to The Lincoln Memorial, to see the Deceleration of Independence, and many others. It had passed the time, but it hadn't done much to keep the two from being extremely nervous about what was to take place in fifteen minutes.

After waiting for what seemed like forever, the speaker on the secretary's desk came to life, and the muffled voice of the President told her to "send them on in". So, she did so. Daniel and Davis got up from their seats and went to the door, where the Secretary opened it for them, once again checking out Daniel's backside, although, this time, she caught a peak of Davis' as well.

Slightly unnerved at the woman's openness Daniel hurried into the room, making sure not to look behind him. He heard the door shut and felt a little relieved. The president told them to have a seat, and so they did, in silence. Looking at him in anticipation, they waited for him to speak first. He sighed when neither one said anything, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his hands over his chair.

"Well, I've done a lot of thinking..."

**XXXX**

There was a knock at Sam's door, around 2000 hours, and it confused her slightly. Cassie was still in school, and wouldn't be done with her classes before break until the next day, and Daniel, as far as she knew, was still in D.C. Plus, Teal'c was off world, and she had left Pete. So... who could it be?

She answered the door, to be surprised two nights in a row. Once again General O'Neill was standing on her front-steps and this time, he looked slightly nervous. "Sir?" she questioned. "What are you doing here?"

He pushed past her into the house, even though she hadn't invited him in, and she was starting to get a bit worried. "I got a phone call today," he said cryptically, sitting down on her sofa. Looking up at her, he saw the confused look in her eyes, and sighed. "Pete called me while I was at work this afternoon."

All of the color must have drained from her face, because there was suddenly a knowing look in his eyes. She shut the front door and made her way into the living room, opting to stand instead of sit down. Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked anywhere but at him, and asked, "What did he want to talk to you about?"

"Oh," O'Neill sighed, "you know. Same old same old. Sports, aliens, the fact that you broke up with him, those kinds of things."

Maybe she should have sat down. She looked over at him, a stern look on her face, and moved across the room onto her love-seat. Sitting down, her arms still crossed over her chest, she sighed. "And is there a reason that you had to come to my house to tell me this?" she questioned, "sir?"

"You didn't tell me," he confronted her. "I was here yesterday, I saw you this morning... You never said a word about him, or breaking up with him, at all. Why is that?"

"Not that it's any of your business, _sir_," she stated, suddenly feeling anger rising in her throat, "but I was waiting until Daniel and Teal'c got back so I could tell all three of you at the same time." Her eyes were probably dark and cold, but she didn't care at the moment. She really wasn't ready to have this conversation, and here he was, pushing her into it, cornering her in her own home. It just wasn't fair.

O'Neill was silent for a moment, and then, surprisingly, asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Sam felt like screaming, yelling at the top of her lungs, that no, she didn't want to talk about it. She couldn't talk about it, even if she wanted to. It wasn't allowed. He should know that by now. And he should stop putting her in these kinds of situations. "No offence, sir," she finally said, calming herself and gritting her teeth to keep herself from saying what she wanted to say, "but if I had wanted to talk about it, I probably wouldn't come to you."

As soon as she said it, she regretted it. He actually looked hurt. "Oh... right," he mumbled, standing up from the chair he had been sitting in, "then I should probably go."

"Yeah, that would probably be the best thing..." she said just as quietly. "I'll see you tomorrow, sir."

"Right..." he said with a sigh, "at work."

"Yes, sir."

He nodded, "Have a good night, Carter."

Cursing herself for letting her feelings get the best of her, she stood up and followed him to the door, holding it open as he walked out. "I'm sorry, sir," she told him, as he stood on her front porch, it was dark outside, and the dim light made his grey hair jump out, and she had the sudden urge to run her fingers through it. But, she didn't, she kept her hold on the door and smiled at him sadly, "I'm just not ready to talk to anybody at the moment."

"I understand," he told her, although she could see in his eyes that he was still hurt. It was strange, most people could never tell what he was thinking, from the look in his eyes. But she always could. It was something that Daniel had brought up often, seeing as he never could tell. "See ya later, Carter."

"Goodbye, sir," she said, shutting the door as he turned around and headed for his truck. Sighing when he was gone, she turned around and leaned against the door, much like an actress would in a movie. Funny, she had always thought to herself that people never did that in real life. She guessed she was wrong.

After a second or two of standing there, she went back into the living room and flung herself at the couch, picking up the channel changer and flipping through the stations. She barely got the chance to watch anything, because as soon as she laid down she started thinking. And as soon as she started thinking something dawned on her.

Pete had called the general. Pete had told the general that she had left him. Why had he done that? What all had he said? Paranoia set in and she started to go through all the possibilities of the secrets he could have spilled.

Could her life get any worse?

**XXXX**

**A/N: As always, let me know what'cha think!**


	17. Lies Kept

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: Lies Kept**

**Summary: "Yeah, but what good is easy, if it's just going to cost your soul?"**

**Disclaimer: Nah, not my show and not my characters. Aside from that, I don't make any money off of my fiction. I'm just borrowing them for a bit.**

**Authors Note: Well, I'm gonna try and clear up a few things. There are two options you can choose for why Pete called O'Neill, one; he was just being nice or, two; he was doing it to get back at Sam, in a way. Pete's a cop, he's smart, he knows how much Carter is going to stress over the fact that he let her secret slip, and he also knows that with the regulations that stand, there can be nothing between the two. You can pick either one. I'm choosing because he was being a nice guy, stepping aside, and because he loves Sam, trying to make her happy. With Jack going to her house, that's simply because he was confused. After all this time when Sam has been pretending to be happy with Pete she left him, and moreover, she didn't tell him about it. They're close friends, so he doesn't really understand why she wouldn't let him know. He just wanted some answers, and he was tired of being left out in the dark. As for Sam being rude, I explained that in the chapter. She was backed into a corner, and the last thing she wanted was to confirm whatever Pete might have said, so she had to get away from him so she wouldn't slip and say something that she shouldn't. I know that was extremely long, but I hope it cleared some things up. **

**XXXX**

Samantha Carter had lost her cool. For years she had been calm and collected, it was a requirement of her job to remain level-headed and rational. With, quite frankly, the most important, and relatively, most dangerous job on the planet, she couldn't run around screaming every time there were complications, in the forms of bombs and alien invasions. But, she was not at work, and this had nothing to do with explosives or demonic snakes from outerspace. This was her life, her personal life, and it was falling to pieces. "Pete called him, Cassie," she explained frantically, her glass of wine nearly empty. "He called him and he told him that I broke up with him. God knows what else he might have said, but unfortunately, I have no clue!"

"Calm down, Sam," the college student ordered. "I can be at your place in ten minutes. Is that okay with you? Are you alright by yourself until then?"

The woman snorted, "I'm not actually in danger, Cass, at least not physically. My entire life is going to end up a bit screwed after this, but at least I have my health..."

"Well," the girl replied, "hold on to that thought and I'll be right over." She hung up without even saying goodbye and Sam sighed, letting the phone drop to the couch and retreating back into the kitchen, where her bottle of wine was open on the counter. She was going to have to get _so_ drunk in order to force herself to work in the morning, and at the moment, she had no problem doing so.

When Cassie arrived, she didn't even bother knocking on the door. Had it been locked she would have used her spare key, but it wasn't, so she just walked right on inside. Sam wasn't in the living room, but she really hadn't expected her to be. Her next place to look was the kitchen, although she wasn't there either, however, it was apparent she had been. There was a half empty glass of wine on the counter, next to a clearly used glass. Cassie laid down her purse and keys next to the alcohol and began her tour of the rest of the house. "Sam?" she called out, as she left the kitchen.

As she walked down the hallway, she noticed the light to Sam's bedroom was on, while all the others were dark. She passed up every room, until she got to the head of the hallway, where she rapped lightly on the door, "Sam?" she questioned. "You in there?"

"Yeah," the older woman's voice called from the other side. "Come on in."

And so Cassie did. Sam was standing in the middle of the room, staring at her bed, which held a whole lot of men's clothes, along with a few books and other items. "What's going on?" she asked, looking up at Sam with confusion. "What's all of this?"

"Pete's things," she said quietly. "He's gonna want them back, right?" Looking up at Cassie, she got an idea, "You can call him... tell him to drop by while you're on vacation and pick them up. When I'm at work. And while you're on the phone with him, you can casually mention a conversation you and general O'Neill might or might not have had..." her look was hopeful and Cassie was floored by how unwrapped she had become. "Please Cassie, I have to know."

"Sam," she replied, sitting down on the bed, "what is wrong with you? I don't think I've ever seen you even remotely like this before. It's like you're falling apart."

Sam sighed and sat down on the bed next to her, "You didn't see his face," she finally said. "The look in his eyes. He _knew_. Pete had to have told him, because he was just waiting for me to confirm what he had already been told. And then," she looked down at her hands, "I panicked." Laughing bitterly she continued, "I didn't know what to do, so I kicked him out. I was mean and hateful and I said everything I could to get him to leave. It hurt him, but I can deal with that latter. What I can't deal with is him trying to get the truth out of me, because the truth isn't allowed, and the lie is just so much easier."

"Yeah, but what good is easy, if it's just going to cost your soul?"

**XXXX**

Jack scowled, as Daniel's voice mail picked up once again. He had called Davis' twice, and Daniel's cell three times, and each and every time, he either got a clueless girlfriend or Daniel instructing him to leave a message in German or Russian or some other language. Probably a combination of a few, knowing the archeologist. Teal'c was off-world, and he didn't have any other friends he could talk to about what was bothering him. They wouldn't be able to understand, with all of the downplaying he would be required to do.

He drove home in silence, ignoring the radio and speeding in order to get there quicker. When he arrived, he pulled a beer from his fridge and fell onto his sofa. Life, at that moment, pretty much sucked.

Maybe Pete had been lying to him. The two certainly weren't friends, and he had gotten the impression a few times that the cop couldn't have cared less for him, so why all of a sudden would he be so generous. But, the lie would make no sense, unless he wanted to make him feel like an idiot, and how would that effect Carter?

So, for then, he was left believing that what the cop from Denver had told him was the truth. Maybe he had been too hasty, rushing over to her house like that. Well, down right stupid was more like it. What had he hoped to find out? That it was, indeed, the truth? Where did that leave him? Nowhere. It wasn't like he could do anything about it, anyway. And the knowledge would just make working together all the more harder.

Was that why she had kicked him out like that? Why she had kept the secret from him? Why she had been so hurtful?

Cursing himself for acting before thinking, he took another drink from his beer. How on earth, or any other planet, was he going to face her in the morning?

**XXXX**

Although Cassie really didn't want to talk to the man, whom she had never really liked in the first place, she knew that Sam was depending on her to do so. And as much as she disliked Pete, she hated seeing Sam so bent out of shape, and was willing to do anything to get her insanely calm friend back. Somehow, though, she didn't think this phone call was going to solve that problem.

He answered on the third ring. "Hello? Peter Shanahan?... This is Cassie Fraiser."

"Sam's friend?" he asked, a bit surprised to hear from her.

"Yeah... I was just calling to let you know that I'm going to be at her place for all of next week, so if you want to come by and pick up your things one day, I'll be here..."

"Oh," he replied, "okay." There was a pause, "How is she doing?"

Looking behind her, she winced, Sam was watching her and there was no way she was going to answer that question while in the same room with the woman. Walking out of the bedroom, she made her way down the hall and slid out the back door, "Truthfully? Worse than I have ever seen her, at the moment." Before he had a chance to reply, she explained. "You said something, to Jack. She knows that you said something, but she doesn't know what it is, and at the moment, she's freaking out." Cassie paused, then breathed deeply, "Please... what did you tell him?"

"I just let him know that she broke up with me," he replied, "and that it was because of him..."

"You did _what_!" she practically yelled. Calming herself down, she said in a patio chair and sighed, "That was not a very good thing to do, Pete. You do know that Sam's not even allowed to have romantic feelings for him, don't you?"

"Well... yeah, but I mean come on, they've both saved the world, I saw them do it myself," he paused, "that has to count for something, right?"

"They don't get any special privileges for what they do, although if you asked me, that wouldn't be such a bad idea," the girl leaned back in her chair and sighed once more. "That's all that you said?"

"Yes, that's it. I didn't mean to stress her out," Cassie couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or pulling her leg. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well... if you'll excuse me, I have to go do some damage control."

**XXXX**

Sam was sitting on her couch when Cassie came back in from outside. She nearly jumped out of her seat, and stood in the living room, waiting for the girl. "So?" she asked nervously, "what did he say?"

The girl seemed to school her expression, as she walked further into the room. "He told me that all he said to Jack was that you broke up with him, and had done so because of Jack." A wince passed across her face as she stood before her in the middle of the living room, "I am so sorry, Sam, I don't know what to say."

"He knows," she whispered, her eyes closing in defeat. "After all these years of having to keep it a secret, and now it's out there in the open..." she sank back into the couch, leaning her head against the back. "What am I going to do?"

"You are going to go to bed and sleep off all of the alcohol you drank," Cassie informed her. "_I_ am going to drive over to Jack's house and straighten some things out."

"Cassie," she protested, "no–"

"Don't worry about it, Sam," Cassie promised, "everything is going to be fine. Just, trust me, okay?"

The woman nodded, "Alright. I trust you. If I'm asleep when you get home, will you wake me up?"

Nodding, Cassie kissed her on the cheek, "I will. Now, go lay down, you're going to have a hangover in the morning, and you'll need all of the sleep that you can get."

**XXXX**

Jack was still laying on his sofa, the same bottle of beer resting idly in his hand, when there was a knock at the door. As quickly as the sound entered his house, the door was being opened, and a dark haired college student was stepping inside without permission to do so. "Cassie?" he questioned, sitting up on his couch. "What are you–"

She sighed and walked into the living room, her eyes falling on the beer. "You two are so damn alike it's sickening."

"What ar–"

"We need to talk about a few things, Jack..." she informed him. "No, I need to tell you a few things, and you need to listen to me without trying to interrupt. Okay?"

"Yeah, sure..."

"Pete called you today, right? Told you that Sam had broken up with him. He also let it slip that she did so because of you." Jack was a bit surprised that she knew all of the details, but he had learned never to put anything past the daughter of a woman who had known everything there was to know, especially if it was gossip. "You then went to confront Sam about it. I gotta tell you Jack, that was probably the dumbest thing you've ever done."

He winced, "I know–"

"You're not interrupting, remember?" she asked. "What did you think was going to happen, Jack? She would admit it, and you two would live happily ever after?" Without waiting for a reply, she folded her arms across her chest, "Newsflash, you're her commanding officer and you two aren't allowed to have a storybook ending. And this is Sam we're talking about, she's better at keeping secrets than Victoria." Catching his confused look she sighed, "The store? Victoria's Secret?" A look of realization washed over his face and that was enough for her. "She's in a bad way at the moment, Jack, freaking out about what you know and how you're going to react. I think she's afraid she's going to lose her job."

"That's ridcu–"

"You need to let this drop," the girl informed him. "For a little while, at least. Act like it never happened, go on like things are completely normal, and keep pretending that the two of you aren't in love with each other." Sighing, the girl laid her hand on his arm, "Also, I think it'd be the best for both of you, if you tried to stay out of her way at work tomorrow, and maybe the next day. Just, give her some time to recollect and return to her normal, way too serious, self." She took a deep breath, and looked at him pointedly, "Okay?"

Jack nodded, "Yeah, alright. I can do that."

"I'm really sorry you've got to go through all of this Jack, I can't even imagine how bad it sucks for you two," she leaned back, resting her head against the couch. "Maybe one day all of this will go away and you two can finally be happy, but until then, the last thing she needs is to be worried about what you know and what you're oblivious to."

"I never meant to hurt her." he promised. "I don't even know if I was thinking when I went over there. I guess I was just tired of all the sneaking around, all the lies."

Smiling sadly, the girl nodded, and stood up. "Just to let you know, whatever she told you today, she didn't mean it. She was taken by surprise and was just trying to get you to leave before you found anything out."

He sighed, "That's good to know."

She nodded, "Goodnight, Jack."

"Yeah, night..."

Turning, she walked out of the house, closing the door behind her. Jack laid back down on his sofa, staring at the blank TV screen, wondering how on earth he had managed to screw things up so badly.

**XXXX**

**A/N: I hope this chapter doesn't come off as a leap or anything, but I think that, were Janet alive, she would have probably done something like that, so the next best thing is Cassie... Just a thought. And, I know, there was no Daniel and the president in this! AH! The next chapter will probably be based solely on that part of the story, if not that mostly. Anyway, please review!**


	18. Forward Motion

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: Forward Motion**

**Summary: Looking straight into her eyes, he said something that caught her completely off guard, "Marry me."**

**Disclaimer: Hardly any of the characters are my own, and I don't own the show. The plot I lay claim on.**

**Authors Note: Don't worry, I'm not going to make Pete out to be a good guy! I still don't like him, so I'm not going to try and make anybody else like him, either. Haha.**

**XXXX**

When Sam woke up, it wasn't because of the shrill ringing of her alarm clock, nor was it because of her natural instinct to wake early, as she normally had to, when off-world. The reason she was roused was simple, sunlight was streaming in through her window, and hitting her right in the face, and not many people can sleep while the sun's rays are aimed directly at them. Annoyed as she pulled herself out of bed, she ran a hand through her more than likely unruly hair and sighed, would she ever be able to sleep in late?

Late... Uh oh. Suddenly fully awake, Sam jumped out of her bed and nearly ran straight into the bathroom door. She pushed it open, and for the first time, stopped to look at the clock on the wall. 8:31. She had a briefing at 9:15. Well, good thing she had showered the night before.

She brushed her teeth in record time, washed her face even quicker, then ran a brush through her hair. Why hadn't her alarm clock gone off? Wait... had she even set it? With her being off the day before, could she have forgotten to turn the alarm on? She couldn't have been so absent minded, could she? Then again, she hadn't really been level-headed and thinking rationally the night before. Which reminded her...

Cassie was supposed to have woken her up, and as far as she could remember, she hadn't. Sam changed into fresh clothes quickly and hurried out of her bedroom and into the living room. "Cassie?" she asked, looking around. The girl wasn't anywhere to be seen. Taking a look out the window showed that her car was no longer in the driveway. Had she even come home the night before?

Getting another glance at a clock, she cursed herself. How could she have not woken up? She grabbed her things and hurried out of the house– she could deal with Cassie at a later time. At the moment, she was running a bit behind.

Pulling out her cell phone, she did the last thing she wanted to at that moment. He answered on the second ring, as precise and formal as always. "O'Neill?"

Sighing, she slid into her car and cranked up the engine, "I woke up late."

**XXXX**

Jack O'Neill nearly smiled to himself. She was calling to tell him that she didn't wake up on time? "And...?"

"We have a briefing."

"Yeah. About that..." he said, "I meant to tell you, but Daniel called and asked for the morning off. His flight got in really late last night and he hasn't gotten much sleep. Forget the briefing, we'll delay the mission for another day. It's not extremely important, anyway."

She seemed relieved, "You've talked to Daniel?"

"Nope." he said with a sigh. "Walter did. Took a message. Listen, take your time getting to work. There's no rush."

"Thank you, sir."

"Anytime, Carter." he hung up and shook his head with a smile. After all of these years, and he still didn't have any understanding of women.

**XXXX**

"_Well, I've done a lot of thinking..."_

Daniel could actually feel the air rushing out of his chest, and it wasn't pleasant. Why he was so nervous over this, he would never know. It wasn't like Jack or Sam knew what he was doing, so if the answer came back as a 'no' then he wouldn't have to return home with disappointing news. There would be no letting anyone down. At least, nobody would know they had been let down.

"This is a very sensitive subject," the president informed them, "as you well know. I also get how important it is to you," and he was looking directly at Daniel, "that this be in place, for your friends happiness. The politician in me is against this, one hundred percent. I am forced to keep so many secrets as it is, and this would be yet another to add to the pot. Besides that, if it somehow got out, it would hurt me. Showing favoritism is never looked upon greatly. It almost doesn't seem worth the risk."

Daniel and Davis both caught on to the 'almost' that the man had used, and held their breath. Which, still wasn't a problem for him, since he had yet to find the oxygen that had escaped moments prior.

"On the other hand, the husband in me thinks that it's a risk worth taking. Nobody should be denied any sort of happiness, and keeping a secret of such magnitude from a loved one is a very tiring job, I know. But, as hard as it is for me, it has to be ten times harder for those who are out there risking their lives every day. I hold both Colonel Carter and General O'Neill in high regards, and to learn of their situation, and that they have been in it for many years, makes me feel as if I have, in some way, let them down. They have, without a doubt, contributed the most to the program, as have you and Mister Teal'c. And if there is anything I can do that would make your lives easier for you, then I feel as if I am obligated to do so.

"Which, brings me to my predicament, I have conflicting opinions on this subject. Each are important points of view, and each are equally truthful. But, I must think about what's best for my men, my country, and my world.

"Which leads me to my answer..."

**XXXX**

Daniel was exhausted. By the time he had gotten out of the president's office there was only one flight back to Colorado Springs, at 0100 hours the next morning. Davis and brought him back to his place so he could collect his things, and he had attempted to sleep, but he couldn't. He kept thinking about the president's decision, and how it was going to effect his life, and that of his friends and co-workers.

Cassie had called, while he was in the president's office. She left a message, telling him to call her back ASAP, it was extremely important. So, after an hour of tossing and turning on Paul's couch, he found his phone and dialed. "Hey Cassie," he said when she answered, "it's me."

"Hey," she replied. "Where are you?"

He told her. Washington D.C.

"What are you doing in D.C.?"

He told her. Everything. From the beginning, with Davis' approaching him at the SGC to the end, meeting the president in his office.

"Well?" she asked. "What did he decided?"

He told her. A nearly word for word account of the president's answer.

"Oh." she said.

"Why did you call?"

She told him. Pete had let the cat out of the bag, and things had gone south from there. If there was any way for him to get home, and quick, then he'd better take it.

"I can't Cass, my flight doesn't leave out until one o'clock in the morning."

"Well... we'll just have to do something when you get home, then. Won't we?"

Daniel sighed. "Yeah. Okay."

**XXXX**

The whole way back from D.C. he thought about Sam and Jack. They deserved so much more than all the things they had been put through. And, he wasn't completely modest, either. He knew that he deserved just as much in return as they did, but there was nothing that he required. At least not something of such magnitude.

Davis had seen him off early that morning. He had smiled, thanked him for coming, and shook his hand. Daniel wondered if their little plan would lead to a better friendship than the two had had in the past. He had grown to like the man in the past few days. There was something to be said about a person who would go completely out of his way for two people that he didn't know all that well. It was noble. Honorable. Kind of stupid.

He attempted to sleep once more, finding that he had, in the past day, developed insomnia. Not that he had ever been one to fall asleep easily, unless he was drunk. Years of off-world experiences had led him to be a terribly light sleeper. He was always cautious, even when unconscious, and the slightest noises would jerk him awake. He had nearly fallen asleep on the plane, until the cry of an unhappy baby pierced the air, and forced him back awake.

So he focused more on what Cassie had told him about the events that had taken place while he had been away. Sam had finally left Pete. Jack had stopped by Sam's house. Pete had called Jack to let Sam's biggest secret slip. Then Cassie had been in charge of damage control, putting back the broken pieces of Sam's life together. From what Daniel could tell, the puzzle was almost finished.

Almost being the key word.

**XXXX**

"Paul," Meghan questioned, "what's wrong?"

"Huh?" the man asked, looking up at his girlfriend, who was sitting on the arm of the couch he was in. "Oh. Nothing, I was just thinking."

"About what?" she asked, curious. He hardly ever got as quiet as he was being. It was a bit unnerving.

He smiled at her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into his lap. "We've been dating for awhile, right?" he asked.

"Yeah." she replied. "More than nine months. Why?"

"You know I love you, right?"

"Of course," she said with a smile, "I love you, too. What's all of this about?"

He got a distant look in his eyes, then it seemed as if he snapped back to reality. Looking straight into her eyes, he said something that caught her completely off guard, "Marry me."

Meghan felt breathless. Had he just proposed to her. "...What...?"

"Marry me." he replied. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, have kids, get old and ugly, right here with you. So... marry me. I know I don't have a ring or anything, but we can get that later... if you say yes."

"If?" she asked, smiling. "Of course I'll say yes!"

He actually looked surprised. "Really? You will?"

"Did you think I was going to say no?"

Smiling sheepishly, he shrugged. "It was always a possibility."

"No it wasn't," she informed him. "I love you, Paul. I could never think to say no." She kissed him deeply. "But, can I ask what brought this on?"

He nodded, his arms still wrapped around her waist, "I just didn't want to waste any more time."

**XXXX**

It was a little after two o'clock in the morning, Colorado time, when Daniel's plane touched down. Cassie was waiting at the airport for him, looking extremely exhausted, but determined at the same time. "Well..." she told him with a slight smile, as he walked up to her. "Let's get this show on the road."

Ooh... it was going to be a long night.

**XXXX**

"What's wrong, Henry?" Annabel Hayes questioned, as her husband slid under the covers of their bed. It seemed to her that something had been on his mind that night, bothering him, as it were. When she asked, she had half expected him to wave her off, as he normally did. Presidential matters. Highly classified. Things that, even she, as the first lady, was not privileged enough to know about. But, to her surprise, he gave her an actual reply.

"I had to make a tough decision today," he informed her, somewhat cryptically, as he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. "I'm just worried about whether I made the right choice or not. That's all."

She rested her palm against his cheek, and kissed him softly. "Well. Whatever it is, I'm sure you did the right thing. As long as you went with your gut feeling."

He sighed, and in the darkness, she could she doubt in his eyes. "Yeah. That's what I'm worried about." He was quiet for a moment, and his next words were almost too close to a whisper for her to hear, "I didn't."

**XXXX**

Cassandra Fraiser hated to wait. She was young and impatient, always had been, and more likely than not, always would be. Her mother had always summed it up to too much time spent with Jack O'Neill, but Cassie had a hard time believing that. Jack was one of the most patient people she knew, if not then the most. Not only was he required to be so by the military, but what other kind of person could work side by side with the woman they were in love with for years, and yet not do a thing about it? That certainly wasn't a sign of impatience. Maybe stupidity or stubbornness, but that was a whole other story.

It occurred to her how alike Sam and Jack were. Both were extremely patient and stubborn. If only they could see how similar they were. Maybe things would be easier on everybody else. Because, quite frankly, they could go on ignoring their feelings until the end of times, but those around them were getting fed up with it, and not just her. Point proven by the fact of what Daniel and Davis had done.

There was an announcement that flight 241 from Washington D.C. was in, and relief washed over Cassie. Finally. A few minutes later, people began emerging from the terminal, among them Daniel Jackson. She smiled when she saw him, and he came over to her, walking slowly, because he was tired. "Well," she said, when he was within earshot. "Let's get this show on the road."

**XXXX**

**A/N: I know you guys are getting ready to murder me at the moment, because I have once again, delayed the response of the president. But, however, I know that it will be in the next chapter, so there's just a bit more waiting to be done! Anyway... review please. I live for feedback, and it makes me right quicker, in most cases (this being one of them)!  
**


	19. Final Answer?

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: Final Answer?**

**Summary: Jack stared at the area where she had been standing only seconds before, dumbfounded. "Oh, for cryin' out loud."**

**Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.**

**XXXX**

Having no where else to go, Cassie and Daniel drove to his apartment, put on a strong pot of coffee, and sat in the living room. "I don't know what you're intending to do, Cassie," he said with a sigh, "but I have a feeling it's not going to turn out the way you want it to."

She shrugged, "That's interesting, because I don't even know what I am intending to do, yet."

"Well, whatever it is, you'd better figure it out soon, because I'm tired and I have to go to work in the morning, we have a mission."

"Just call Jack, say your flight got in real late, and you'd like to take a few hours off in the morning. Besides, I already told him that he should give Sam some space for the moment, and he agreed."

Daniel looked at his watch, then took a sip from his coffee, "I'll call Walter in a few hours."

**XXXX**

He couldn't sleep, if only for a lack of not wanting to. After he proposed they had... celebrated, and then she had gone to bed, but he stayed awake, watching her as she slept. Thinking about that afternoon, and the events that had led to him asking for her to marry him. And he suddenly wondered, had the president's answer been different, would he have felt compelled to ask that night?

Paul decided hat he didn't care. All that mattered was that he _had_ asked, and she had said yes. Besides that point, everything else seemed irrelevant, unimportant.

As he sat in the darkness of their bedroom, his mind traveled back to the conversation that he and Daniel had with the president a few hours prior. The choice the man had made, had, well... brought a lot of things in Paul's life into view. He had been wasting time, putting off an engagement between him and Meghan, when he should have been thankful that they were even together. He thought of Sam and Jack and how the decision would effect them.

Hopefully, Daniel wouldn't even tell them what he had really been doing in D.C.

**XXXX**

"_Which leads me to my answer..." the president said with a sigh. "As much as the husband in me knows it's a worthy risk to take, the solider, the politician, the president, in me says that part of me is biased. And, I'm inclined to trust the instincts that I picked up while in the military. I want to be able to say yes to you, to have this turn out as some sort of story book ending, but this isn't a fairy-tale and things don't work that way in real life. There are too many things that could go wrong, were I to suspend the regulations for the SGC, and not just on my front. True as it is, you may be compromised already, but there is a difference in love for a family member, and being in love with a partner._

"_I am sorry to let you down like this, I know the two of you have come to me for the sake of your friends, but I can't agree with you on this one. My answer has to be no, I cannot suspend the fraternization regulations for Stargate Command."_

Daniel sank into his oversized chair and allowed his eyes to drift shut. It was already four in the morning, and Cassandra had come up with absolutely nothing. His mind was running on empty, and his body had already shut down for the night. It was time for him to go to bed, he wasn't as young as he used to be, pulling all nighters only worked for him when he had something to stimulate his mind, and a whole lot more coffee than he had consumed thus far. And even then, he had to fight to keep awake.

"Are you listening to me?" Cassie asked, noticing his change in positions.

Peeking at her through one eye, he groaned, "No... I'm trying to sleep."

"Daniel, come on, this is important."

"He said 'no', Cassie." Daniel told her. "Don't you understand that? No. Non. Nein. Neit. N-O."

"Yes, Daniel, I understand the meaning of no," she said, bewildered by his change in attitude.

"When the president tells you no, Cassie, you've gotta give up. There's no where else to go after that." he sighed. "I'm sorry. I want to see Sam and Jack together as much as you do, but I just don't see that we have a choice here. Short of one of them retiring, which we know, neither is going to do. And anyway, Sam would never let Jack give up his job for her, and vice versa." Leaning his head against the back of the chair, he closed his eyes once more, "It's out of our hands, now."

"Okay," she said quietly. "I get that. I know there's not a thing to do about them being together. But, come on, we're their friends. They're in a bad place right now, friendship wise, and we've gotta do something to get them back to the way things used to be."

Daniel shook his heads, "They can't go back, Cassie. They love each other, and they know it. As time passes, things are just going to get harder and progressively worse for them. There's nothing we can do about it. Let them handle this. They know what they're doing, and they can fix it."

Cassie sighed, looking over at a picture of The Great Pyramids, that was hung up on his wall, "I hope you're right."

**XXXX**

"Come in!" he called, after the knocking stopped. Looking up, expecting Walter to walk in and give him the morning report, Jack was taken by surprise when his 2IC came through the door instead.

"Good morning, sir," she said mildly. "Do you have a few minutes?"

He set down his pen and nodded, "I have all day, if it means no paperwork."

She smiled gingerly, like she used to, and sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. "I wanted to apologize," she informed him, "for the way I behaved last night. I was rude and I'm sorry. I could have handled things a lot better than I did."

"I'm the one who should be saying I'm sorry, Carter," he replied. "I wasn't thinking, going to your house like that. It was just... what he said, it surprised me, and I didn't think about the situation it would put you in. I just wanted answers. I was being selfish and I apologize for it."

Nodding, she looked down at her hands, "We really screwed things up this time, huh?"

"Nothing we can't fix." he assured her.

Looking up at him, she felt her breath catch in her chest, "He was telling the truth, you know? Well... sort of, anyway."

Jack nodded, "I had a feeling."

"I didn't leave him because of you," she said, shaking her head. "I left because my feelings for him... they didn't come anywhere close to the way that I feel about you." Running a hand through her hair, she continued, "And I realized, with a lot of help, that I was just settling with him, and that wasn't what I wanted. He was a safe bet for me. As long as I had somebody else to think about, I wouldn't have to remember about the one thing I really wanted, the one thing I could never have." She looked away, gazing through the plexi-glass, "When I met Pete, I thought he would help me forget about you, but it didn't work that way. I'm sorry for anything I put you through. It was never my intention to hurt you. I just..." she looked back at him, "I was tired of being alone."

Looking a bit bewildered, he shook his head, "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because you deserve to know." she stated simply. "And it's time that I got it off of my chest. It's been a burden that I've been made to carry for too long now, and hopefully, I feel better after this." She began to fiddle with her dog tags, and a ring that he just noticed was among them, "I don't expect anything to come from this," she told him. "The rules are clear and I know that the world is more important than my happiness, and I'm willing to sacrifice them to be a part of this program." She got up from her chair and walked towards the door, "I just thought you should know that I love you." And, that being said, she opened the door and left the room.

Jack stared at the area where she had been standing only seconds before, dumbfounded. "Oh, for cryin' out loud."

**XXXX**

_2 days later_

Henry Hayes was sitting at his desk in the Oval Office, when his secretary buzzed in, informing him that General Hammond was on line 3. Surprised by the sudden phone call, Hayes picked up his phone, "George, hello..."

"We need to talk, Henry."

Having the sinking feeling that the talk they needed to have included the words "SGC" and "frat regs", Hayes winced. "I figured it wouldn't be long before you were brought into this."

"Brought into what?" Hammond asked, sounding confused. Okay, so maybe Hayes had been wrong.

"Daniel Jackson didn't call you?"

"No," his old friend said. "Why would Daniel need to call me?"

So, Henry told him. Daniel Jackson and Paul Davis had come to his office only days prior, requesting that the fraternization regulations be suspended for the SGC, namely for General Jack O'Neill and Colonel Samantha Carter. "That's not what you called me about?" he asked, surprised.

"Not at all," he replied. "But it's something just as important. Can you meet me for lunch?"

He looked at his agenda for the day, lunch was already booked. "Can't do that, but I have an hour free from 1400 to 1500, if you can make it over here."

"That I can," Hammond informed him. "I'll see you in a few hours, Henry."

They hung up and Hayes looked around his office, thinking that maybe he hadn't made the best choice two days ago, after all.

**XXXX**

He and Cassie had stayed up talking about all the things that had gone on in the past few days before they finally broke their conversation, in need of sleep. Since his apartment was only a one-room, Daniel opted to sleep on the couch and let the younger have the bed. She had argued, saying it was his house, he shouldn't have to sleep on the couch, but he wouldn't hear any of it. She was the guest, even though she had invited herself over, and he wouldn't make her sleep in the living room.

When he woke up the next morning, it was already after 1000 hours, nearly 1100. Thankful that he had called Walter before falling asleep, he showered quickly and changed, not surprised to find that Cassie had already left. Forgoing a pot of coffee, he would just get one at work, he left his apartment and took off for the SGC.

After making a pit stop at the commissary, he started for his office, until he decided to head for Sam's instead. It had been a few days since he had seen her, and he wanted to check for himself on how she was doing. Besides, this way she could tell him in her own words what had happened between her and Pete, not that he didn't trust Cassie's explanation. But, the girl hadn't been there.

The door to her office was closed, no surprise there. That just meant she was probably working on something important and didn't want any interruptions. Oh well, that didn't really apply to him, anyway. He used his key card to open the door, and it hissed as it slid into place. She looked up when he walked in, and smiled, "Davis get an A on his homework?"

Remembering that Jack had called it the same thing, Daniel smiled, "Not really..."

"Oh," she replied. "That's too bad."

_You have no idea. _"Yeah... so, I talked to Cassie..."

"Really?" Sam asked, turning back to the device she had been working on. "And what did she have to say?"

"You broke up with Pete?"

"I called you," she said. "You didn't answer... It must have been really hard home work. AP Calculus, maybe?"

"More like Chemistry."

"Ah."

"So... you gonna tell me about it?"

"About Chemistry?"

"You breaking up with Pete."

She shrugged, "What's to tell? I didn't love him enough, so I broke things off. You knew that I was going to, so don't act so shocked about it."

He nodded, "How did he take it?"

"Better than I expected... better than I deserved."

"Don't say that."

"Why not? I was a horrible person for stringing him along for so many months. When I knew, I _knew_ that nothing could ever really come of it. Not as long as he was still in the picture, and I don't expect he's going anywhere soon."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head, "Not really."

"Alright... I'm going to go to my office then. If you need me, you know where I am."

**XXXX**

"So, what's so important George?" Hayes asked, as his old friend took the same seat Daniel Jackson had occupied a few days prior.

"Can I ask you something first?" Hammond questioned. When Hayes nodded, he continued, "Why did you say no?"

"You know why, George," he replied. "You worked there for seven years, you know the dangers involved in being a part of the SGC. Romantic relationships could put your men and women into jeopardy. And that's a risk that I'm not willing to take."

"You're right, Henry, I did work there for seven years, and that's why I think you're making a mistake. I've seen the way they work there, I know that changing the frat regs wouldn't effect them in any major way. Maybe you have to see it first hand to understand."

The president sighed, "Will you tell me why you came now?"

Hammond nodded and took out a piece of folded pair, "This." he said, handing it over to Hayes.

"What is it?"

"The print-off of an e-mail that Jack O'Neill sent me last night," he replied. "Informing me of his intended retirement."

"Retirement?" Hayes asked, opening the paper.

"Just read it Henry."

So he did. The note was very personal, and Hayes almost felt wrong reading it, but it was obviously important. And, Jack was obviously getting ready to retire.

_She may be willing to give up her happiness to stay a part of the program, but I'm not. Her happiness is worth more to me than working at the SGC,_

"Jack has always thought he wasn't important to the program, Henry," Hammond informed him. "In his mind, we don't need him. That's why he thinks it won't hurt anything if he retires now."

_George, I know you're going to try and talk me out of this, but you can't. I love her too much to keep pretending, and I'm not going to anymore. I am in the process of writing my resignation letter, and by the time you get this, I will most likely have already signed and sent it off._

"I haven't gotten anything yet." Hayes said quietly.

"The only way Jack would think of not quiting," Hammond replied, "is if the frat regs didn't apply to the SGC any longer."

Hayes looked up, and sighed. "Maybe I made a mistake."

**XXXX**

**A/N: So, nothing is set in stone, this is Sci-Fi, after all! So, you never know what's going to happen. Anyway, please review... **


	20. On the Third Day

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: On the Third Day**

**Summary: "But the real question is," Hammond continued, after a moment of silence, "what are you going to be doing to fix it?"**

**Disclaimer: We've gone through all of this before, have we not? The show and the characters are not mine, and I make no cash profit from my stories. **

**XXXX**

It had been two days. Forty eight long hours since she had done the most rash thing in her entire life. Having already come to terms with her confession mere hours after doing so, that was not the part that bothered her. For the entire two days since she had gone to his office, he had done everything in his power to steer clear of her. Canceled the mission SG-1 was scheduled to have, used Walter as a messenger whenever he needed an update from her, for whatever reason, and wouldn't even let her into his office. She was starting to wonder if maybe she had been wrong in assuming he shared the same feelings as she had.

After siccing Cassie after him, in hopes that the girl could make him crack, she was disconcerted to find that even the young girl couldn't get him to open up. From that point on, all hope seemed to be lost, and if he was planning on coming to her with any sort of revelation of his own, it would have to come from his own accord, and not be forced by her hand. She wasn't sure what bothered her more; the fact that he had yet to open up, or the fact that there was nothing she could do to speed the process.

The twenty one year old had been a godsend for Sam. If Cassie hadn't been on break she was sure she would have gone insane from the wait and lack of knowledge. Both nights they had stayed up late, watching old horror flicks, and the Star Wars movies that Sam had yet to seen, eating ice cream and chocolate and popcorn and whatever else they could get their hands on, as long as it was high in calories. Sam would work the extra food off at work, and Cassie, who was blessed with a high metabolism, would simply have to do some extra running around to get rid of her unwanted pounds, so they didn't worry about splurging.

It was on the morning of the third day when she heard the rumors that had been flying around the commissary since the afternoon of the first. Walter had let it slip to Siler that General O'Neill was thinking about retirement– for good this time– and Siler had let it slip to about ten or so technicians, and after that the whole base had known. Well, the whole base, sans one person, which just so happened to be her. Why she was always the last leg of the rumor mill at the SGC she would probably never know, but it was starting to frustrate her.

Knowing that even if she went to his office he wouldn't let her in, the thought didn't even cross her mind. The last thing that she needed was to be brought up on charges for disobeying a direct order. No, instead of doing something as insanely stupid as charging into his place of work and demanding an explanation, she decided to wait until that night, and charge into his house, only to do the same exact thing. So, for almost the whole work day, she stayed in her office, not working on her newest doohickey, but contemplating what she would say and how she would approach him. And that was even if the rumor was true, and she was hoping that it wasn't. But, as she had learned in her years at Stargate, anything was possible.

**XXXX**

"I believe that may be the understatement of the century, Henry," George replied with a slight chuckle. The man smiled slightly in reply. "But the real question is," Hammond continued, after a moment of silence, "what are you going to be doing to fix it?"

**XXXX**

Hammond had replied to his e-mail, telling him not to do anything too incredibly unreasonable, and to just wait for a few more days, think things through, and then come to his conclusion after weighing out all his options. But to Jack, there were only two to weigh. Retire, have a life with Sam, the life he had missed out on the first time around, or stay at the SGC and be alone forever. To him, there really wasn't much of a conflict of interest, but he took Hammond's advice anyway, because he respected the man and knew that a little more time wouldn't kill him.

He wasn't stupid, he knew that the entire staff knew of his plans. Walter rarely ever kept a secret, and even so, the men and women who worked under his command had a unnatural ability to find out even the best kept secrets. Taking the cowardly way out, he locked himself in his office, only emerging when there was a debriefing to be had. And even then, he did his best to ignore the confused looks and quite whispers.

On the second day of his deciding, Hammond called him, and told him to hang in for a few more days before he made his final choice. Five days tops, he said. That would leave him at a week since her confession. Jack wasn't sure whether he could go an entire week ignoring her or not. It had already taken everything he had not to go to her, tell her everything, say screw the regs, and take her into his arms. His bones ached for it, but his mind knew better. If anything good could come of her boldness, it would have to take time. And a week was a reasonable amount of time, he confessed. He could handle it.

At least, he hoped that he could.

**XXXX**

"There's really only one thing that I can think to be done," Hayes replied with a sigh of regret. "I confess, I made a huge mistake. I went against my internal instincts, because I was afraid of the repercussions, and now I managed to screw things up worse than anything I had imagined before hand." He ran a hand over his head, rolling it and wincing at the pops and cracks his bones produced. "There's no way that I can let a man like Jack O'Neill slip through the program. He may not think he's important to us, but he is. I have to suspend the fraternization regulations for Stargate Command."

It was all Hammond could do to keep from smiling in triumph.

**XXXX**

As the clock ticked towards 1800 hours, day three, Sam grew impatient. What if he didn't even go home? What if he wouldn't let her into his house, much like he ignored her when she knocked on his office door? And, even worse, what if he didn't share her feelings? Was she setting herself up for heartbreak

Telling herself that her doubts were incredibly childish, she grabbed her things and headed out of the office, at 10 after 1800. Her dad had seen it, Daniel had seen it, Cassie had, and even Pete said he knew the two held a greater bond than he could even dream of having with her. So, there wasn't a chance that he might not feel the same, right? If all of those people knew he felt something more for her, then he more likely than not, did.

She thought back to her conversation with her father, the very thing that had led her to where she was then. When he had left, she told her to "tell him". It was a vague suggestion, and Sam hadn't known what he meant at the time, but now she was certain that he had been saying for her to tell Jack. Either way, she had done both. And although she was going out of her mind with worry, an entire world of weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

Then there was the conversation with Daniel. If her father hadn't confirmed things for her, then Daniel sure enough had. Sam had confessed to him that she was afraid of the way she needed Jack, the strange hold he seemed to have over her. Her friend had replied that the fear she felt, all the things she experienced when he was around her, was love. She knew now, that he was right.

When she pulled into his driveway, she was surprised that she had arrived already. She had been completely lost in thought, and hadn't even noticed that she had been driving to his place. Driving to his house had been done solely on autopilot, an unconscious act that she could most likely do blindfolded or in her sleep. Although she had been to his house very few times, she had memorized all the possible ways to get there. It struck her how incredibly creepy that sounded, but she didn't give it too much thought. It was important that she knew where he lived. With the nature of their jobs, a lot of people did.

Not surprisingly, his truck was in the driveway. Most of the lights were out in the house, but that was merely because it was still daylight. His living room light appeared to be on, so she gathered up her courage, turned off the car, and made her way to his front porch. After knocking lightly she waited, hoping he would answer the door, and she wouldn't have to yell through the wood to get what she needed to say off of her chest.

After a few seconds of no reply, she rang the doorbell. There was footsteps, then the sound of curtains being pulled back, and a deep sigh, before the door opened. He stepped out on the deck, obviously not wanting her to stay so long as to invite her inside, and sat down on the steps. She didn't follow him, and instead sat in one of the chairs on the patio itself.

"You've been ignoring me," she confronted him, feeling a bubble of courage rise in her throat. "And for the life of me, I can't figure out why."

He didn't turn to look at her, instead just sat, staring into the trees from across the street. "As long as we work together," he told her, "this can't happen." He hung his head low, "_We_ can't happen. It's not allowed, you know it. So why in hell would you complicate things by telling me that you love me?"

"Because I'm sick and tired of having to put my life on hold," she replied. "I understand that with the nature of our jobs work has to come first, but I shouldn't have to spend my life alone because the air force says I'm not allowed to be in love with somebody that I work with." She snorted, "After all we've done for this planet, and we aren't even allowed to be happy."

He didn't reply.

"Is it true?" she asked.

Jack finally turned around to look at her, "Is what true?"

"You're going to retire."

"I'm not going to lie to you, Carter," he said. "It's been on my mind... the only reason I haven't turned my letter in yet is because Hammond wants me to think it through completely before I do."

"Still thinking?"

"Truthfully, I made up my mind in my office, three days ago..." she colored slightly at the mention of her confession. "But Hammond wants me to take some time, so I'm going to take some time. After all the things he has done for me, I think I owe him at least that much."

"So, either way...?"

"This time next month, I'm looking forward to nonstop fishing in Minnesota, with a certain blonde companion."

Raising an eyebrow, much like Teal'c would have, she asked, "Me?"

"Nah," he replied with a grin, "I've been thinking about a Golden Retriever."

"Oh," a smile spread over her lips as she stood up from her chair and sat down next to him. There was silence for a few minutes, as the two just enjoyed being close, thinking about the weeks ahead of them, and what would happen were he to really retire, and then she said, "We're going to be okay, right?"

He nodded, slipping an arm around her waist in a forbidden moment, "More than that. We're going to be_ wonderful_."

**XXXX**

When Hammond's name appeared on Daniel's caller ID, he was a bit confused. Not that he and the man didn't stay in touch since he left for Washington D.C., but it was rare that he called unannounced. Picking up the phone on the third ring he greeted him sincerely, "Hey, George, what's the occasion."

What George Hammond had to say floored Daniel. He had heard of Jack's supposed retirement, but hadn't bought a word of it, especially since nobody could give a legit reason for his doing so, not even Walter. But what the general was saying, was the Jack was indeed considering retiring for good, and it was because Daniel and Davis had failed their mission. However, were the younger men had failed, Hammond had passed with flying colors.

"You got him to change his mind?" Daniel question, shocked.

"No, son, it wasn't me." the older man replied. "Jack and his irrational streak did. When the president heard that he was intending on retiring, he didn't hesitate to think twice. We need Jack as a member of the program more than he would like to think."

"So he's really going to suspend the regulations?"

"He's drawing up the papers as we speak," Hammond replied. "It should take a day or two, but once everything is signed, you take over and let the two know the change of plans."

Daniel smiled into the phone, "Sounds like a plan to me... but do you mind if I let somebody else in on this? Well... make that two people, no... three."

"Well," Hammond replied, "I understand you letting Davis know, but who else could you have to tell?"

"Oh," Daniel said, "you'll see."

**XXXX**

**A/N: Sorry it took so long, I was in North Carolina for a few days and couldn't get a few free hours to write out this chapter. Hopefully the next will come much sooner, but who knows. With me, you can never really tell.**


	21. Visitors

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: Visitors**

**Summary: "I know. I've made up my mind, Daniel. The truth is, though, they need Sam much more than they need me. And I need Sam much more than I need this position."**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Neither the show nor the characters belong to me. Maybe next time. **

**XXXX**

It had been twenty four hours, and the awkward air that had been hanging around the SGC– General O'Neill and Colonel Carter in particular– had dissipated greatly, and this had not gone unnoticed by the others who worked there. New rumors had circulated around the secret compound, replacing the previous retirement ones. The all consuming gossip spreading among Stargate Command now pertained to the relationship between Jack O'Neill and Sam Carter, and how their affair was the cause of his retirement.

It never ceased to amaze Sam how juvenile grown adults could act, all because of some random persons too vivid imagination. One would expect military men and women to have a higher level of maturity, due to their extensive training and in many (nearly everyone at the SGC, to be particular) cases, near death experiences. Who would ever guess that they could be reduced to High School Freshman, gossiping in the girl's bathroom about who was seeing whom, and how far they had gone.

Instead of the tension that had existed between CO and 2IC, which had been enough to drive Sam crazy, now every time either one entered a room, there was an immediate hush among those already occupying it. The airmen and marines would stare for a few moments, then turn back to their food or their work, whispering almost furiously. At that particular moment, Sam and Daniel had walked into the commissary, intending on grabbing a quick cup of coffee. There were about six or seven other airmen in the room, and they all stopped to look at the two. Sam simply rolled her eyes, grabbed her coffee, and walked back out of the room.

"Are you not going to do anything about that?" Daniel asked, as they headed back to her office to work on a device SG-6 had brought back from P2S-256.

"You tell me something that I could do," she replied, "and I'll do it."

He nodded, "We hear anything new from the Tok'ra?"

"Yeah," she told him, nodding. "Dad contacted us this morning, they're sending him and a few other Tok'ra back to earth for a couple of days, to discuss the treaty further and take the first steps towards regrouping with the Jaffa rebellion. Dad thinks that with the news of their growing success the High Council may reconsider within a couple of months." She slid her key card into the slot and waited for it to open.

As they walked into the office, Daniel continued, "So when does he arrive?"

"Later on today."

"Are you going to tell him that Jack's going to retire?" he questioned.

"I'm not sure yet," Sam admitted. "General O'Neill isn't even positive if he's going to retire. He's still trying to go through all of his options, you know, maybe there's some other way..." she looked at the device sitting on the table. "So are you going to translate this thing or what?"

Daniel smiled, "Yeah... I'm going to translate it. Wouldn't want you blowing yourself up, now, would we? Jack wouldn't appreciate it."

Sam looked at him pointedly, "And neither would my father..."

**XXXX**

_16 hours earlier..._

"You're kidding!" the young woman exclaimed loudly, after he informed her of the president's change of mind. "Tell me you're not joking!"

"I swear it," Daniel promised. "Hammond just called me a few minutes ago. After Hayes got news that Jack was planning on retiring for good, he thought over his decision. From what Hammond told me, the president was getting the papers done as soon as he possibly could."

"We've got to tell them!" Cassie said. "Like, _right now_."

"No," Daniel replied. "We can't. Until it's final, nobody can now about, besides Hammond, Hayes, Davis, you, me, and somebody else..."

"Who else?"

Daniel smiled to himself, "It's a surprise."

"Oh, come on, Daniel," the girl begged. "Please just tell me."

The archeologist sighed into the phone, "Okay, fine. I'll tell you, but you're gonna have to help me with this."

"Of course. Now tell me."

**XXXX**

General Hammond was still sitting in the president's office, although he knew that they were waiting for him back at the Pentagon. No matter, though, when you had a meeting with the POTUS himself, you couldn't really get reprimanded for missing another. But then again, in his position, Hammond hadn't been reprimanded in years, or even had occasion to be. However, he was beginning to wonder how long all of this paperwork was going to take. "Henry, not that I enjoy the break I'm getting, but by what time do you think I'll be getting out of here?"

The man looked up from his desk, mid-signature, and smiled, "I'll be done shortly, George. Are you going to need a note to get back into class?"

Hammond wasn't surprised that his friend kept a straight face, while making an obvious joke. He was the president anyway, and a poker face was definitely in the job description, besides, he could recall from their days as lieutenants that the man had been damn good at the game. Fooled him out of his money all the time. "I don't think that will be necessary."

President Hayes nodded, "Can I ask who is going to deliver the good news to the men and women at the SGC?"

"Well," Hammond sighed, "I was figuring maybe Daniel would tell Jack, and he could tell everybody else. Unless, of course, you would like to do so."

He shook his head, "I can't say I would mind it, but I have no free time within the next couple of days. I could, however, get you some time off, to do so. That is, of course, if you would like to."

"I would be honored, sir."

**XXXX**

_At present..._

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Come in!" Jack called from his desk, setting aside the file he had been working on, and twirling his pen between his pointer and middle finger. When Daniel walked into the office, the general leaned back in his chair, ready for whatever request the man was going to throw at him. A week on the new found planet of ruins, a full blown archeological dig on P1W-337, he never really knew. "What can I help you with, Spacemonkey?"

Daniel scowled at the nickname, but sat down all the same. "I just wanted to talk..."

Well, that was something new... in a manner of speaking. "Oh? What about?"

"You know," the man replied with a sigh. "You, Sam, your retirement, the rumors floating around about how she's with child... those kinds of things."

Jack snorted, which didn't surprise Daniel in the slightest. "You don't believe that one, do you?"

"Of course not. But, you really haven't clarified the retirement one for me, you know?" The man leaned back in his chair as well, ready for a long explanation.

"What's there to clarify? As soon as the day is over, I send off my resignation..." he shrugged. "It's as simple as that."

"You can't seriously be going through this, Jack." Daniel replied, seemingly in disbelief. "We need you way too much here for you to just quit like this."

"The SGC doesn't need me anymore than I need my grey hair, Daniel. I'm nothing more than a nuisance, a thorn in the side of the pentagon. They're probably going to all jump for joy when they get my letter."

Daniel shook his head, "Okay, O brilliant one. If they really didn't need you, your military insight, your uncanny ability to see hidden agendas, then why would they have promoted you to general and stuck you as the leader of the program?"

"Hayes felt bad about the Kensey thing... felt he owed Hammond a favor."

"So, to help out Hammond, he hired you for his old job?"

"George went on to bigger and better things, Daniel. Maybe it gives him peace of mind knowing somebody who's been a part of the SGC for so many years is now running it. I don't know, and quite frankly, I've gotten to the point where I no longer give a damn."

"I just hope you're not making the biggest mistake of your lifetime, Jack. Yes, I know that you deserve to be happy, and so does Sam, but what happens if this new guy doesn't cut it? If he makes the wrong choice, and we all end up dust? Happiness won't be able to help you if the Goa'uld are coming, and our new leader doesn't know Jaffa from Nox?"

"I can't stay here forever, Daniel. You and I both know that."

The man shook his head with a sigh, "There's no going back this time, Jack. You realize that, don't you? You can't change your mind, decide that we really do need you here, and expect the president to accept you with open arms. It won't work that way anymore."

"I know. I've made up my mind, Daniel. The truth is, though, they need Sam much more than they need me. And I need Sam much more than I need this position."

**XXXX**

Her father ended up arriving at a little after 1600 hours. Anise was with him, along with a younger male Tok'ra that she couldn't remember the name of. Jacob, however, introduced him as Troyer. Sam wasn't sure if that was his hosts name, or the name of the symbiote, but it was her experience that mostly when a Tok'ra was addressed, it was by the name of the symbiote. In her fathers case, though, he was from earth first and foremost, and when on earth he was in control. While with the Tok'ra, it was Sel'mac.

Troyver and Anise went directly to the briefing room, they had a meeting with O'Neill, in which Jacob was not required to attend. Instead, she and her father went to the commissary for a early dinner. She was thankful that there weren't very many people in the commissary, and when the two walked in Jacob seemed to chalk up their staring to simple curiosity. However, she did make sure to pick a fairly secluded table, so she could talk to him in private.

"When you left the last time," she asked, as they sat down at their table, "you said 'tell him'. What did you mean by that?"

Jacob grinned, "It meant whatever you needed it to, baby."

Sam couldn't help but laughing, "That would have worked so much better if I had known what I needed it to mean."

"Well, what did you end up doing, then?"

"Well, firstly, I broke up with Pete..." she said with a small smile. Jacob looked slightly relieved, but let her finish her explanation. "And then I told Jack that I love him."

His eyes grew noticeably wider, "You did what?"

"I didn't know what you meant! So I took any possible meaning and ran with it. Besides, what you said, what Daniel said, what everybody said, it made a lot of sense. I was tired of holding it all in. And, I've got to tell you, I feel so much better now that he knows. I can actually breath now."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing, really..." she replied. "But, he did tell me he's going to retire." There was a momentary pause, "For good this time."

Jacob was speechless for awhile, "He's going to _retire_?"

She nodded.

"What is he thinking! Doesn't he realize how important he is to this program? To the treaty between the Tok'ra and Tau'ri. Hell, to the treaty between the Asgaurd and Tau'ri and probably all of the treaties that this world has with any alien race?"

"Dad, we've all tried to tell him how much he's needed here, but he just won't see it. And it's not like anybody can tell him what to do, he's an adult, you know?"

"Not to mention a stubborn ass."

"Well," she replied, nodding, "there's that."

**XXXX**

Hammond called Daniel as soon as his meeting with President Hayes was over. He told the archeologist that the president was getting him a plane ready, and he would be heading back for Colorado Springs within the hour. Daniel was relieved by the conversation, seeing as Jack was expecting to turn in his resignation letter at the end of the workday. Luckily, at the SGC there was no set end to the workday, and Jack had meetings until well after 1900 hours that night.

"I'll be there shortly, son," Hammond told him. "If he shows any indication that he's getting ready to send off that letter, distract him. I should be there before he does, but just in case."

Daniel promised him that there was no possible way Jack would get that letter. But before they could continue their conversation, the familiar sound of an incoming traveler filtered through the air and into Daniel's phone. "I gotta go, Jacob." the archeologist replied. "Call me as soon as your plane lands and I'll pick you up from the airport."

"Alright, son," Hammond replied, before hanging up.

Daniel put down his phone and took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to wake himself up further. The sound of Walter's voice filled through the air once more, "Incoming traveler! Incoming traveler!"

He found his way to the control room and watched as Jacob Carter walked through the gate with Anise and another Tok'ra. Anise and the younger male followed Jack towards the briefing room, while Jacob and Sam talked for a moment, before heading out of the 'gate room, to where, Daniel didn't know. However, he decided to give them some time alone, before going to talk with the Tok'ra. Besides, there was plenty of time before George would arrive.

**XXXX**

**A/N: Well, I'm writing this on my first day in South Carolina, so who knows... maybe I can finish the next chapter before getting back home, as well. But anyway, I think this story is almost over. Not sure though, I'm rarely ever right about these things. At any rate, please review!**


	22. The Back Door

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: The Back Door. **

**Summary: "You just don't get it, do you?" the older man asked. "This is not about you, or Sam, or the possibility of you having a life together and being happy. This is about _earth_...**

**Disclaimer: Nah. The show isn't mine. If it was, RDA would be here this season... **

**Spoilers for Chain Reaction.**

**XXXX**

When Jacob Carter said goodbye to his daughter, so she could continue with work, he was already planning on what to say to O'Neill when he dropped by his office. He was fairly certain that she knew what he was planning, but if she did, she didn't give him any indication of it, nor did she make any attempts to keep him from going. She merely hugged him, thanking him for the conversation days earlier, and said she would see him later– for dinner perhaps.

Daniel Jackson had attempted to stop him before he made his way to the general's office, there was something that they needed to talk about, he claimed. Jacob promised him they would converse at a later hour, but he had to take care of a few things first. Important things. Things that could not wait.

The other Tok'ra were already in their quarters, or roaming around the base, and Jack was alone in his office, Jacob could see through the plexiglass. He knocked softly on the door, and waited for the OK to enter. As soon as he heard Jack call out he opened the door, a small smiling and a knowing look on his face. The moment he saw him, Jack understood why he had come, and motioned for him to sit down.

"You've talked to Carter?" he asked, putting his pen down and looking up at the older man.

Jacob snorted lightly, giving Jack an amused look, "I _am_ Carter, Jack."

General O'Neill smiled, "I know that Jake, I meant your daughter."

Nodding, Jacob replied, "Then yes, I have talked with_ Carter_. Learned a few, interesting facts about you... and your up and coming retirement. What's that all about?"

Sitting back in his chair, Jack sighed, "Let's face it Jacob, I'm not nearly as needed as she is, and probably the only reason I still have a job is because of all the times SG-1 saved the world, or killed a Goa'uld. I'm not General material, never have been. Fact is, I was surprised when I made it to colonel, even. I don't house a single diplomatic bone in my body, the words forgive and forget are not a part of my vocabulary, I'm not even close to being bright, I'm temperamental and cocky, and the things that I say tend to get me into bad situations. That's not the kind of person who should have command of the worlds most important, top-secret military facility. So, the question then is, what on earth am I still doing here?"

"Jack, you really need to get over this low-self esteem thing. Yeah, okay, maybe you're not the best diplomat in the world, and maybe you have a tendency to hold grudges, but you also have a knack for seeing through a lie and getting down to the true nature of people. Your men and women trust you, they work well for you because they like you, they're not going to want to be forced to work under some person they know nothing about. What happens if it turns out the SGC gets another General Bauer to command? Are things really going to be better if they're stuck with a tool, who comes in and shatters the natural order of things? How would you live with yourself if something happens to earth because you put your life above everybody else's?"

"That's not what I'm doing Jake," the man replied, "and I think you know that."

"All that I know is you're behaving like a self-centered child, kicking and screaming because they want a new toy and their parents said no." Jacob shook his head, "I know _why_ you are doing this Jack– and believe me, I want nothing more than to see my baby girl finally happy, but not if it's at the expense of earth. Not if it's going to tear apart everything we've all worked so hard for." He leaned forward in his chair, running his hands over his face, still shaking his head, "Your being here is important to so many things, whether you like to thank so or not. The Asgaurd have a difficult time dealing with anybody else, when they're not in tow with you, and like it or not, but the Tok'ra have a great deal of respect for _you_, and would much rather negotiate through this bump in the road with the infamous General Jack O'Neill. We're not going to do so well with a man who knows nothing of our ways and traditions, who hasn't been through eight years of battles and hardships by our side. You have to realize that."

"What are you asking of me, Jacob?" Jack questioned. "Because, it seems to me like you'd sacrifice Sam's chance at a real life, all for some damned treaties. I'm sorry– but I'm not willing to do that anymore."

"You just don't get it, do you?" the older man asked. "This is not about you, or Sam, or the possibility of you having a life together and being happy. This is about _earth. _This is about the defeat of the Goa'uld, and how you factor into the equation. This is about finding new allies to help protect our planet, new weapons to use in battle against our enemies, new medicine that could one day cure cancer, or AIDS, new foods that could possibly cure world hunger. You are vital to this program, damn it, and I can't believe that the president would even consider accepting your resignation, because he understands what you're so plainly dumb to. You are the only man capable of this job. Yeah, Hammond did wonderful as CO of the SGC, but for as long as he worked here, you were learning things from him, things that help you in your job now. Nobody else has that. There is not another human being on this planet who can run this facility the way you do. You leave, and disaster will follow. It's inevitable."

Jack leaned back in his chair once more, "I can't turn my back on my decision Jacob. I told your daughter I would be with her, and I can't see myself doing anything otherwise. I made a promise to her– and I fully intend on keeping it."

"I'm not asking you to take back your promise, Jack. I'm asking you to look for another option. Find a loop hole. Damn it, don't just sit there and tell me the only way for my daughter to have a life, a family, is for you to abandon your country, your _world_, like an egotistical jerk. Hold off on your letter, just a few more days. Find some other way, there has to be one. There is always a back door. You just have to be willing to search high and low to find it."

**XXXX**

"Jacob," Daniel said, as soon as the man emerged from O'Neill's office. He took one look at the flush of his cheeks, and the annoyed look in his eyes, and realized that the airmen and marines of the SGC had been completely wrong about the nature of the conversation between the general's. It was not a happy-go-lucky, I hear you're sacrificing your career for my daughter, talk. Daniel was almost certain that the man had chewed the younger general out, and he was sure that Jack had deserved it. "What's wrong?"

The man shook his head, and began walking towards his regular quarters. "Good Lord, I have never met a more dense man in my life!" he declared, earning a few curious looks from passing airmen. "What does he take the government for? Idiots? They wouldn't have put him in his position if he didn't deserve it– if he wasn't _needed_. How can he possibly think that we could do well without him?"

"Listen, Jacob, we need to talk about something..."

"Not now, Daniel. I have to make a phone call–"

"To whom, Hammond? the president?" the archeologist asked. When the older Carter stopped dead in his tracks, an amused smile was brought to Daniel's lips. He had stumped the man. That was a pretty good feeling. "It's already been done– believe me._ That_ is what we need to talk about, but I would rather we have this conversation in private."

The Tok'ra stood in the hallway for a second more, searching his face for any clue of what the young man was talking about, and then nodded. "Very well, then. We'd better get this over with, because I don't think that Jack listened to me like he should have." He took off back down the hallway, Daniel following behind him. A few moments later, they entered his quarters and Jacob took a seat. "So, tell me what this is all about."

Daniel took the only remaining seat in the room, which just happened to be Jacob's bed, "Not long after your last visit, Major Davis and I had a very unique discussion. It seems we're not the only ones who can see past Sam and Jack's facades. We talked about it for awhile, and decided that we were going to do something about it. So, Paul made a phony reason for me to go back to D.C. with him, and we went and talked to the president–"

"You did what!"

Smiling slightly, Daniel continued, "I'm not going to lie to you, things didn't turn out the way we wanted them to. The president said that there was nothing he could do about the situation, he was sorry and he wished there was more he could do. Well, when the president turns you down, there's nothing else you can do, right? Jack fixed that for us." Daniel stood up, and stood up against the wall, "A few days ago, he sent Hammond an e-mail, told him that he was going to retire. Hammond called the president, and Hayes filled him in on what Davis and I had been in D.C. doing. So, Hammond e-mailed Jack back, asked him to wait for a little while longer, think things over, before he sent of his resignation. Faced with the program losing one of it's key members, Hayes reconsidered. As we speak, Hammond is on a plane, headed for Colorado Springs, so he can tell Jack and Sam in person."

Jacob sat in silence for a few seconds, "Why couldn't you tell me this before I went and showed my ass?"

Daniel shrugged, "I tried to stop you..."

He sighed, "So what do we do now?"

**XXXX**

When Jacob left his office, he left the door open. Normally, this would have bothered him, he liked privacy. But at the moment, he was hoping for a distraction, anything to take away from what he had just been confronted with. He had tried to act like it didn't bother him, like he didn't believe what Jacob had said, but he could lie to himself, it got to him. Deep down, he knew the older man was right.

The knock at the door had been refreshing to say the least. That was, until he looked up to see who his visitor was. "Carter..." he said, acknowledging her, "come on in."

She smiled shyly, and entered the office, taking the seat her father had occupied not even ten minutes before. Then, with a half hidden wince, she asked, "How much damage did he do?"

Jack shook his head, "None... at least not in the way you're thinking."

That got her attention, "Oh? What kind of damage did he do then?"

Frowning, he looked up at the open door. She got the underlying message, got up momentarily, and shut the door. When she got back to her seat, she let out a deep sigh, "Now will you tell me what my father wanted to talk to you about?"

"My retirement."

"Okay... what about your retirement."

"He was trying to talk me out of it," he explained. "Put up a pretty good argument."

"So what?" she asked, not even attempting to hide her disappointment. "Are you reconsidering?"

"No matter what, I'm not going back on my word. I'm tired of sitting around, acting like you don't matter to me. But, what if there's another way?" He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk, "There's got to be some other way. Something that can be done, that doesn't require me to leave."

Sam stood up from her chair, heading towards the door, "Let me know if you come up with something." And then, she walked out of the room, leaving Jack confused, and even more frustrated than Jacob had.

In his near fifty years of life, he still hadn't skimmed the surface towards understanding women, and he was beginning to think that, given fifty more years, he still wouldn't get any closer than he already was.

**XXXX**

General Hammond look at his watch, for what seemed like the hundredth time, and sighed. His flight to Colorado Springs seemed never-ending, and after his one and only layover in Missouri it had only gone slower. He had only a little over an hour until they landed, and he was getting slightly anxious.

By the time he got to Colorado Springs, Daniel picked him up at the airport, and they got back to the SGC, it would be close to the end of the workday. As far as he knew, President Hayes wouldn't accept the letter, but he still wanted to get there before Jack took that final step.

There was some children's movie was playing, and thanks to his granddaughters Hammond had already seen it four times, so there went that distraction. He took out his laptop, figuring at least he could play Free-cell or something, and sighed.

It had been a long day so far, and he was more than certain that the night was going to be even longer.

**XXXX**

**A/N: This chapter was a pain in the butt to write! Ugh. I know I rewrote the beginning at least four times, and in the end I took the complete opposite direction with it. I like the direction it went in though, so I guess that's all that matters. Anyway, let me know what you think, as always. **


	23. Let the Truth Be Told

**Title: Safe Bet**

**Chapter: Let the Truth Be Told**

**Summary: She sighed and picked her fork back up, "I just hope that saving the world seven or eight times is enough to earn us some happiness."**

**Disclaimer: Not my story and not my characters!**

**Authors Note: I know it's been awhile, but I'm back now, and hopefully I'll have the time that I used to... Not sure though, because I have to get a job!**

**XXXX**

As the plane prepared to touch down, Hammond shut off his laptop and turned of his cell phone, having already phoned Doctor Jackson and letting him know of his arrival in Colorado Springs. The young archeologist declared that he as on his way, and Teal'c would be along for the ride. Jacob Carter had wanted to come with, but decided against it, in case his daughter got curious and wondered where he was.

Hammond was slightly upset by that fact, he had wanted to gauge his old friend's reaction to the relationship between his daughter and O'Neill before the news came out, but now it would have to wait. He intended on going directly to Jack's office upon his arrival. Looking at his watch, he let out a soft sigh. The plane was touching down a little under half an hour early, and he guessed that was as much of a break he was going to get that day.

Waiting for Daniel to arrive, he glanced around the airport with an odd fascination. His time with the SGC had changed his outlook on life, and the nature of humans. He watched CNN and had a hard time not scoffing at the petty differences that cause earth wars, even though, at one time, he had been willing to give his life for those same differences. Or the way certain groups of people would shy away from others, without even realizing they were doing so. Older women looked in shame at the way teenage girls dressed and in turn the teenage girls made fun of their old fashioned clothes, not knowing that at any moment, their lives could be over– the entire planet could be gone.

When Daniel and Teal'c arrived, George had to keep himself from laughing. A small child near him, a two or three year old boy, looked up at the large Jaffa with awe and amazement. "Mommy," he said, pointing at the man, "a _giant_!"

Daniel snorted slightly, trying to hide laughter, and Teal'c simply raised an eyebrow and inclined his head towards the small child. The boy's eyes widened, and he scooted closer to his mother, although Teal'c had made no threatening movements. The mother looked mortified, and apologized over and over again for her child's 'imagination'.

"All is well," Teal'c informed her.

Slightly confused by his statement, but thankful he wasn't upset, the woman picked up her child and moved away. Hammond, Teal'c, and Daniel then proceeded to pick up the General's luggage, and head back for Stargate Command.

"You can drive, George," Daniel said, throwing his keys at the man, after his bags had been put into the back of his CR-V. Hammond caught them with the ease of a young man, and grinned. "I'll sit in the back," he continued, smirking to himself. "Wouldn't want Goliath to be d cramped, now, would we?"

**XXXX**

When Sam came to Jacob, asking him where he wanted to go eat, it took a lot of convincing to get her to stay on base, and eat in the commissary. He needed to be around for the other Tok'ra, he claimed, and wasn't she working on something important in her lab anyway? Taking the bait, she agreed... she did need to figure out what the device found on P6A-331 was, anyway. And there was a new Tok'ra on earth, and that was hardly ever a good thing.

As they walked into the commissary, she was praying that he wouldn't notice the looks from the other airmen, but two times in a row? She should be so lucky! Of course, this time, he understood _why_ they were looking, and smirked. But, in his defense, he did nothing more, at least to her. After throwing a few evil looks at the staring military men and women, they went to their table, free from any prying eyes and open ears– the flashing eyes of a Tok'ra were enough to keep the gossips at bay.

"Thanks dad," she said, soft enough that only he could hear her, even though no one even dared look their way. "You have no idea how annoying that was getting."

He smiled and took a sip of his drink, "So, how goes work?"

"I've been busy," she replied, with a tired grin. "But it's nothing that I can't handle."

Jacob nodded, "And this thing with Jack?"

"It's not a _thing _dad. I think that, for once, this is the real deal. I'm just mad at myself for pushing him away for as long as I did, and thankful he didn't forget about me all those years ago, when it became obvious that I wasn't interested."

"I don't think forgetting about you was ever an option in his mind, Sammie," he replied. "No sane person would ever even consider it."

Smiling sheepishly, she ran her fork through her mashed potatoes, suddenly not feeling all that hungry. "What if he can't find another way though, dad? What if this is the only way, and he figures out how much we need him, and decides that maybe he was wrong about us?"

"He's not going to do that, baby."

"How do you know, though?" she asked, setting down her fork and looking at her father. Jacob was surprised to see fear flash across them, but as quick as it had appeared, it was gone. It hurt him to know that she would hide her feelings from even her father. It hurt him even worse knowing he was one of the reasons she had become that way.

He leaned across the table, placing his hand over hers, "Because I've seen the way he looks at you. I know that look, he loves you, Sammie, and that kind of love is hard to find. It's the kind you'd sacrifice anything for, no matter what the consequences. He looks at you the way I used to look at your mother."

She sighed and picked her fork back up, "I just hope that saving the world seven or eight times is enough to earn us some happiness."

**XXXX**

Jack looked up at his door at the sound of a light knocking, then the sound of the knob being twisted. Thinking it was Daniel, who was the only one who ever had the courage to open the door without his permission, he looked back down at his paperwork, and waited for the man to make start whatever conversation he was in for. But when there was the sound of someone sitting, and no voice to follow, he looked up slightly and knew instantly it wasn't Daniel. The man wasn't buff or anything, but even through the fatigues Jack could tell the difference between female legs and male ones.

He pretty much knew who it was, but looked up to make sure. Relieved that she didn't look angry, he set down his pen and leaned back in his chair. "You didn't wait for permission to enter, Colonel." he claimed, trying to look stern.

"What are you going to do about it, sir?" she countered. "Court marshal me?"

Shrugging, he allowed a small grin to appear on his face, "I guess not. Just don't make it a habit... we might send the kids into a tizzy. And the last thing we need is more gossip, eh?"

"Right, sir."

"Was there something you wanted to talk about, Carter?" he asked. Not that he didn't want to see her. He was just curious as to why she had come– when he had been certain she was upset with him earlier.

"I wanted to apologize, sir," she claimed. "For the way that I acted earlier. My father and I talked– and I guess I understand where you're coming from. I would be hesitant in your circumstance, as well."

"I'm not hesitating, Sam," he told her, leaning forward. "I'm just taking the time to exhaust all of my options. I told you before, nothing is going to keep me from you. If the President wants me here so badly, he'll just have to have me without a title. If I am that important, and everybody around me seems to think so, then they'll do me at least that."

She nodded, standing up and sighing to herself, "Anyway, that's all I needed to say, sir. If you don't mind, I have some things I need to work on."

He smiled, "Not at all, Colonel. Go– experiment."

A grin stretched across her face, the one that showed the only emotion she ever let people see– excitement, and she left his office. He watched her go, wondering how in the world he had managed to have such a wonderful person fall in love with him, and then quickly pushing them aside. He was selfish, and if she wanted to settle for him, then there wasn't a thing he was going to do about it.

**XXXX**

The drive to the SGC was relatively quiet, Daniel had asked him about his flight and that had been pretty much it. Teal'c mentioned a Star Wars marathon that Daniel, Jacob, and he were having later that night, and invited him to join them, and Hammond was actually considering it. He didn't have to be back in D.C. that day, and he could put his flight off until the morning. Besides, he didn't get to spend much time with his old friend, and he wanted to talk to him about Sam and Jack.

They had to be fairly hush-hush getting him into the compound. Of course, he was asked for his clearance, even though every single one of the airmen knew he was an important man who had every right to be there. After having Teal'c inform them to keep Hammond's arrival private (with his best 'mean' look, although Daniel couldn't tell the difference between that and his 'happy look') and they entered the complex, their mission clear. Get Hammond to Jack's office without distraction, and then make sure Sam is alone after the General hears the news. And of course, bribe the men in the security room to watch the live footage of what happens.

A few passing airmen recognized Hammond immediately, but didn't stop to make idle chit-chat, for fear that he was here on important, classified Pentagon business. They simple inclined their heads at him, acknowledge his presence, and a few saluted. George did the same back, and they continued their journey to O'Neill's office.

At one point, they were worried that they would be found out. When they entered the elevator there were two men already occupying it. Walter and Jacob Carter. The Tok'ra's eyes flashed knowingly, and Jacob grinned at them, but Walter had instantly struck up a conversation with Hammond about why he was there, when he had heard no mention of it. Luckily, Hammond had grace under pressure, and made up a believable story. They all got off at the same level and went their separate ways, but not after receiving another smirk from Jacob.

When they made it to Jack's office, George dismissed Teal'c and Daniel, they had other things to do, anyway. Sam had to be isolated, and although that might not be such a hard thing to do, not being suspicious about it was. Carter was smart– she would more likely than not see the conspiracy plain as day, and that was what they had to work past.

"I'd wish you good luck," Daniel said, "but that doesn't really seem appropriate in this situation."

"I disagree," Teal'c said. "O'Neill is a complex man. When dealing with him, in my experience, luck is always required."

Hammond snorted, and knocked at the door to his office. "Go on son," he said to Daniel. "I'll be just fine."

"Door's open!" Jack's voice called from the other side.

"Indeed, it is not," Teal'c said, slightly confused, as he and Daniel walked off towards the elevator.

"Come on, Goliath," Daniel replied with a grin, "Let's go find Sam."

**XXXX**

"General Hammond," Jack said, standing up as George entered his office. "We weren't scheduled to meet, were we?"

"No, son," Hammond replied. "This is an impromptu meeting."

"Ah," the younger man replied, "thought I was back to misplacing memos."

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

"Since I misplaced a memo?" Jack asked, sitting back down.

Smiling the older man followed suit, "Since we've been alone."

"Oh, that... Yeah, it's been a couple of months."

"How have you been?"

Jack returned the smile, "Let's cut the small talk, huh, George?" he asked. "So we can get down to why you're really here... You want the desk back, too? Because in a few days I probably won't need it anymore, so I can have it shipped up to D.C."

Anybody else, and Hammond would have expected those comments to be insubordinate. "No, son. I'm not here about the desk. I like my new one just fine."

"So, if it's not the desk, then what brings you out to Colorado Springs?" O'Neill asked, leaning back in his chair.

George did the same, letting out a small sigh, "It's about your retirmeent."

**XXXX**

**A/N: I realize it has been forever since I update this, and I'm sorry! I've had a hectic past couple of weeks and the next few are going to be much worse! School starts back in like a week from tomorrow and I've got to find a job! However I won't let that take away from my writing, I'll still find time to update, I promise! Anyway, you know what to do– leave me a review!**


	24. Those Who Wait

**Title: Safe Bet **

**Chapter: Those Who Wait**

**Summary:. So, Hammond wasn't there to tell him that his resignation would, under no circumstances, be accepted. **

**Disclaimer: As with every time before, the story and the characters are not my property, and I do not claim them to be such.**

**Authors Note: Blah, school has begun. That's one reason this took forever to get out. My laptop was messed up for more than a week, so I could do absolutely nothing in the form of writing. I'm sorry guys, it's fixed now, all is well! Also, I just have to say... for all the reviewers out there... Wow! Thank you guys so much! It means so much to me that you guys are enjoying this fic! This entire story has completely surpassed all my expectations, and most of it is because of all the positive feedback. So again, thank you guys! **

**XXXX**

As the words left his mouth, a scowl passed over the Brigadier General's face. Hammond had expected such, but waited a moment to continue, allowing O'Neill's mind to swim with the different options of what would be said. Of course, the man didn't know of the conversation between Jacob and Jack, so he had no idea that the words 'not again' were the only thing the younger general was thinking.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Jack," the man said, "even though I understand how you feel for Colonel Carter, I can't agree with your wanting to leave. The president, as well, shares the same sentiment." He paused, to allow Jack the chance to reply, if he felt the need, but apparently, he didn't, since he simply crossed his arms over his chest, reminding George of his granddaughters, when they were told it was time for bed.

"After a long discussion, we came to a conclusion." he informed him. "One that I think you and Colonel Carter will both agree with completely."

This perked Jack's interests. So, Hammond wasn't there to tell him that his resignation would, under no circumstances, be accepted. He was, in fact, exactly the one to show him the infamous back door. The one he'd been searching for, for what seemed like years... For what was years, actually. Nine of them, to be exact. When he made no reply, George continued with his speech.

"Before I tell you what we decided, I first have to inform you of events that took place not more than a week ago. Major Paul Davis, when visiting Stargate Command for business, expressed a certain concern to Daniel Jackson about the nature of the relationship between Colonel Carter and yourself. After Dr. Jackson explained to him that there was nothing more than friendship between you, though not for a lack of wanting more, the Major came up with an idea. Perhaps if the president knew of your dilemma, something could be done. Everyone in DC, who knows of the Stargate, understands the importance of General O'Neill and Colonel Carter's work with the program, and therefore, all have a great deal of reverence for you both.

"Knowing this, Paul and Daniel traveled to Washington D.C., having a meeting set up with the president immediately. Because, as much as he likes you and Sam, he likes Daniel as well, for having opened the 'gate, and all his continued research and work he has done with the SGC. They went, talked with the president, and waited. Unfortunately, when the president gave them their answer, it was not as they had hoped for. For many reasons, suspending the fraternization regulations for the SGC was just too much trouble. Daniel went home empty handed, keeping the true nature of his visit a secret.

"Then, you sent me that e-mail. I called the president, filled him in on the situation, whereupon he informed me of his meeting earlier that week. The next day I met with him, and we had a discussion." Hammond paused, getting up from his chair, and smiling at the younger man. "To make a long story short, Jack... Hayes changed his mind. When faced with the chance of losing your involvement with the program, all the cons seemed minute. You are needed at the SGC, this facility could not run as it does without you. And, if your continued service here is dependent upon your ability to form a relationship with Colonel Carter, then President Hayes doesn't see any other option. All of the necessary paperwork has been signed and filed. You are free to do whatever you would like..." he paused, his smile growing, "as long as it doesn't occur on base, and is within the laws."

Jack sat at his desk, in a state of shock, as what Hammond had said sunk in. There were no frat regs? because of him? ... There were no frat regs?

"Well..." Hammond said, giving O'Neill a strange look, "I figured you'd be out the door by now."

Looking up at the older man, Jack smiled lightly, "I'm just waiting for somebody to jump out with a camera, saying 'got'cha!'"

"That's not going to be happening, son."

"So this is for real?" he asked. "There are no more fraternization regulations?"

"Pertaining to the SGC, no. There are no longer any frat regs."George specified. "You are free to see whomever you so choose."

He let out a deep breath, getting up from his chair, "Well... if you'll excuse me–" and before he even finished his sentence he was out the door, leaving Hammond in his wake, grinning like an idiot.

"Now," the man said to the air, "time to head to the security room."

**XXXX**

She was in her lab, as they had thought. Leaned over some alien device, her blonde hair sticking up in all directions, as if she hadn't brushed it in days. "What'cha doin', Sam?" Daniel asked, as he and Teal'c entered the room, looking around, although they knew were nearly every single thing was located in it.

"I'm attempting to calibrate the–"

"Sounds fun," Daniel said, cutting her off before she continued any further. "Is it going to take you awhile?"

Although she was slightly annoyed by him cutting her sentence short– since this was_ Daniel, _and he hardly ever did such a thing– she nodded, "Oh yeah, it's gonna take quite a while."

"So... you'll still be in here working say... half an hour from now?"

Throwing him a curious glance, she nodded once more, "Yes, and probably for three or more hours after that. Why?"

"Teal'c and I were gonna catch something to eat, and we just came by to see if you wanted to join us."

She turned back to the device, shaking her head, "I ate with dad already. You two go on ahead, it's Lemon Chicken day." There was a hint of amusement in her voice, but Daniel knew why so he didn't press any further into the matter. Teal'c, not knowing of the situation, raised an eyebrow, but did nothing more, as was per norm when something of Tau'ri culture confused him.

Having finished their part of the plan, Teal'c and Daniel said goodbye to Sam, and went straight to the security room. The guys, and woman, who worked there didn't even seem to notice them as they entered, and most of them were crowded around one computer, save for two who were monitoring the others. The two made it to the screen in time to see Hammond stand up, and tell Jack, in a long, drawn out way, that the frat regs no longer existed. Not long after that, Jack hurried out of the room, and Hammond stayed behind, smiling to himself, before doing the same as Daniel and Teal'c and heading to watch his work unfold.

When he entered the room, he received a few salutes, but mostly people were focused of the lab of Colonel Carter. Watching, waiting, for Jack to arrive, and things to get all the more interesting.

**XXXX**

There was a strange sensation coursing through his veins as he rode the elevator up to level 19. His hands were shaking, not from fear, but excitement. He hadn't felt in such a way since the first time he stood before the Stargate's glittering blue horizon, although he didn't dare admit it at the time. The right words to say were running through his mind, along with so many other choices that it was beginning to hurt when he tried to focus on one. The airmen to his right was glancing nervously at him, but he didn't care. All he was focused on at that moment was getting to her office. Getting to her.

The door was closed when he reached it. Feeling like a teenager again, picking up his date for the prom, he swiped his card and waited for the door to open. It hissed, and her office was exposed. Not strangely, she stayed in her position, her back facing the door, leaned over her table, working. He stepped inside the room, allowed the door to close behind him, and took the time to simply watch her.

It was apparent she knew someone was with her, her shoulders had straightened, and she wasn't working as diligently any more, but it seemed as if she was waiting for whomever to make their presence known before she bothered to look away from the object before her. It was one of the things that drew him to her, yet at the same time, frustrated the crap out of him. She was completely focused on work, and although that was a good thing, it left little time for her to have a real life.

"Can I help you?" she said finally, her back still turned away from him. He grinned, thousands of inappropriate things running through his mind, but said nothing. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she sat back in her chair, took off her goggles, laid them down on the table, next to some strange tool, and then twirled around in the stool, prepared to chew who ever it was out, in the nicest way possible, of course.

"Oh," she said when she saw that it was him. "General O'Neill... I didn't know it was you. Is there something that you needed?"

His grin grew, but still, he said nothing. Instead, he advanced towards her, walking slowly, and she stood up, confused.

He was in front of her before she could say anything further, staring at her with what he was sure was a frightening amount of intensity in his eyes. He could feel his adrenaline kick in, as a look of uncertainty passed through her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could get whatever it was out, he had pulled her into his arms, his face merely inches away from hers.

"What are you doing?" she whispered, her voice shaky.

"I love you, Carter," he told her, before moving in closer and capturing her lips with his own. The kiss was soft and much shorter than he would have liked, but after the first five seconds Sam's sense returned to her, and she realized that what they were doing was _wrong_. She pulled away, looking at him with a mixture of annoyance, confusion, and underlying happiness.

"Are you crazy?" she asked, her voice a bit sharper, and a lot less shaky.

"I guess that depends on who you're asking," he retorted with a smile. "Why? Did I do something to make you think I might be?"

Throwing him a look that clearly stated she knew he knew exactly what she was talking about, she tried to pull herself from his arms. "Let me go, General, this is–"

"Nice? Comfortable? Refreshing? ...Against regulations?"

"That's the one," she replied, trying once more to break the embrace. He kept a tight hold on her, though, and there was no way she was leaving without force. And they both know she wouldn't resort to that.

Yet another grin passed over his face, "Ah... see, that's were you're wrong, Colonel."

"What are you talking about, sir?" she questioned. "Of course it's–"

"Not anymore." he informed her. "I found the backdoor... well, Daniel and Davis did, but that doesn't matter."

"You're not making any sense to me, sir."

"Okay... I'll say it a bit more slowly this time. There... are... no... more... fraternization... regulations. Confused now?"

"Ooh yeah."

"Well," he said, shifting his arms so that his hands rested on her hips, "see when President Hayes got news of my retirement, and why I was retiring, he decided that there was something he could do to keep me here. He's a smart man, you know? So... he, being the president, can do just about anything he wants. And, he wanted to suspend the frat regs for the SGC. Got it?"

"...Yeah, pretty much..."

"Good," he replied, moving forward once more and kissing her, although this time, it lasted for more than five seconds.

**XXXX**

They were already halfway into Episode II when the pizza arrived. Hammond payed for the meal, brining it back into Daniel Jackson's living room, which was crowded with amazing artifacts, that had occupied his attention for nearly the entirety of Episode I. Grabbing his beer from the coffee table, he sat down next to his friend, Jacob Carter, and refocused is attention on the movie.

Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, as well as Hammond had watched the beginning exchange between CO and 2IC earlier that afternoon, before forcing the Security guys to shut the screen off. Although they wanted to know how things would turn out, they weren't going to continue to spy on what was possibly one of the most important days of both General O'Neill and Colonel Carter's adult lives. They deserved their privacy.

Not long after that, they had sought Jacob Carter out, dragging him back to Jackson's place, to watch the full set of Star Wars, sans Episode III, which was not yet out on DVD. They'd all seen every movie, so nothing would be lost on them. Jacob was filled in on the situation, and surprisingly, was very calm and understanding, which they all knew was thanks to Sel'mac.

Sam had called not long before then, to say that she was taking a week long downtime, to relax, and maybe pick up a new hobby... like fishing. Shortly after that O'Neill called Hammond, asking him to stay for roughly a week while he went up to his cabin in Minnesota for some R & R. George readily agreed, telling the man to have fun, and make sure Colonel Carter wore lots of sun screen.

Jacob scowled at the remark, but his daughter was an adult, and he was happy with her brand new relationship with Jack. He was a good man, anyway, and a close friend. There wasn't anybody on the planet he trusted with his baby girl, but out of all them men he had ever met, Jack O'Neill was the closest to earning that trust as any could ever get.

Hammond set his beer back down on the table and picked up a piece of pizza, looking at the men around him with a smile. Though he didn't admit it, he greatly missed living in Colorado Springs, if only for the lack of better company in D.C. It was nice to be able to sit down with friends and enjoy a relaxing night watching movies and talking about the past.

He would call the president shortly, inform him of the events of the day, and ask for the time to return to the SGC and take over for Jack while he was on downtime. Jacob had already offered for him to stay with him at Sam's while she was gone. There was a guest room, and a pull out couch bed, and it would be a whole lot cheaper than getting a hotel, and much more comfortable than staying at the SGC. He'd call Colonel Carter later, and make sure it was alright with her, but for the most part, Hammond had agreed.

The phrase "good things come to those who wait" and been floating around in his mind for most of the day, and George had to admit, he had never been a believer of it before. But, now, there was no doubt in his mind. Samantha Carter and Jack O'Neill were living proof that in the end, all it takes to be happy is a little bit of patience.

_**The End!**_

**XXXX**

**A/N: Ah! Bet'cha didn't see that one coming... it's over! However, I believe I will be writing an epilogue, maybe of them at the cabin... maybe after that, I'm not sure. Please let me know what you thought of how it ended. If you hated it, tell me so... but in nice words please! If you loved it, feel free to elaborate in as many ways possible. ;)**

**I hope you enjoyed reading my story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I can honestly say that out of all my stories, this is the one I am the most proud of, and as I said before, that's mostly because of the reviews I received. You guys rock! **


	25. Epilogue!

**Safe Bet**

**Epilogue**

**Authors Note: Again, I have to say thanks to all of my reviews! You guys make my day!**

**XXXX**

The soft sunlight streaming through the sheer, blue curtains was what ultimately woke her up. The soft snoring from her right might have had something to do with it, but left on its own, she was far past used to it. She laid in large, unfamiliar bed for a while, but eventually got bored of it, and patience lost, rolled over to wake him up.

It hadn't even occurred to her at the time that the snoring had ceased. She was too busy thinking about the events of the last five days to care about anything else. The first two nights had been a bit strange, to say the least. She was still getting used to being there, to being with _him_. She had slept in the guest room those two nights, but after that, when she got comfortable and used to being there, being alone with him, things had changed.

At first they had decided to take things slow, make up for lost time, and enjoy the beginning stages of a new relationship. But after a day or so they figured that nine years of getting to know each other could easily count as a month or two of dating, all the things that took place during that time period had long since passed. They knew everything about each other, the others favorite food, color, down to their deepest secrets and well hidden fears. So, what then, were they waiting for?

It had been amazing, to say the least, the first time. She hadn't fallen asleep at all afterwards, she couldn't. She was too focused on his light snoring, which had changed from a nuisance to a guilty pleasure, his scruffy, unshaved face hidden in her back, the stubble from his chin scratching her bare skin, and the arm that was draped around her stomach, connected to the hand that was held tightly in her own. It was heaven.

He was awake when she turned over in the bed, his deep, brown eyes were glittering with happiness and the scruffines of his face somehow made him seem all the more appealing to her. This was the side she had always been forbidden to see in him. The relaxed, off-duty, truly happy Jack O'Neill. Not colonel, not general, and definitely not sir. It excited her to her very core to be allowed to witness this, and to be the cause for it.

"Mornin'," he greeted, still groggy. He must have only just waken up.

"Good morning," she replied, wrapping her arms around him and simply enjoying the sensation of a hug. The little things like that, that she had been denied for more than nine years, were what she delighted in most. She hid her face in the curve of his neck and she laid there, close to him, feeling the coolness of his skin on hers and the soft rise and fall of his chest. It was wonderful.

"So?" he asked, "what are we going to do today?"

She let go long enough to look up at him and answer his question, "Fishing, I suppose."

He grinned and she took her old position back, closing her eyes and resting for a few minutes. Lately she had been getting more sleep than she had gotten in years, but she was still exhausted, her routine was completely thrown off balance. Not that she had any complaints.

"We have to leave tomorrow," she reminded him gloomily. "The world probably needs saving by now."

She felt him tense and knew he was frowning, his arms tightened around her waist, as if holding on closer would make it possible for them to stay longer. "I know," was his only reply.

She lifted her head once more, "I don't want to go back. Things will change... we'll still be together, but we're not going to have the time for each other like we do now. I won't get to wake up in your arms–"

"Who said you don't?" he asked, giving her a serious look.

"It's not a secret, Jack, that I'm a workaholic. Most of the time I'm either working through the night, or I'm sleeping at the SGC. Rarely am I ever at home on a weeknight."

"You're forgetting I run the base where you're a workaholic at."

She gave him a lopsided smile, "You're forgetting that you have for a year, and it still hasn't worked once when you order me home."

"Well, maybe you'll comply if I order you to _my _home."

That made her grin, "I dunno... it does take a lot to get me away from my 'doohickey's."

"You left them for a week..." he reminded her.

"And your point is...?"

"My point," he said, pulling her closer to himself, although she had previously thought it impossible, "is that nothing is going to change. I love you, you love me, the frat rules now say that's okay, and there's nothing left to bring us down."

Hiding her face in his neck again, she sighed, "I hope you're right."

**XXXX**

Laughing, she attempted once more to unhook the fish. He was fighting her, that was for sure, although she couldn't understand why. Yeah, she'd just pulled him from his habitat, but she was trying to get him back in, if he would only... stop... moving. Just when she thought he was going to cooperate, he jerked once more, the hook breaking through his skin and causing him to fall– straight onto her lap.

She squealed in surprise, standing up quickly, and watching in horror as the fish flopped on the deck. It was going to die soon, she was sure of it. Cursing herself for acting like a teenager, she bent over and picked up the fish, throwing it back out into the water. Jack had wanted to keep them, and have them for dinner, but Sam had told him at the beginning of the trip, they were only out there for "the act of fishing" as he so lovingly put it. That meant, under no circumstances, would they eat what that caught.

He was laughing at her, hard and loud, and it was starting to annoy her. "Yeah, yeah," she mumbled, loud enough to hear. "I've still caught more fish than you have."

"Only two," he said defensively, "and the day is still young."

"Unlike you," she mumbled, lower this time, to give the illusion that she was saying it for her ears and her ears only. He picked it up, though, and she grinned at the face he made. "Well, at least in matters other than maturity." she added, causing him to smile.

"You know what they say, you're only as old as you feel."

"And you obviously feel fifteen." she continued for him, with a smile of her own.

"Exactly," he told her, "which is why I have the sudden urge to do this–" and without giving her further explanation he got up from the chair he was sitting in with an alarming speed– proving that although he was a little up there in years, he still had the vitality and skill of a solider half his age– grabbed her from her chair, somehow discarding the fishing pole she was holding onto, and hurling them both into the lake.

She broke the surface with a surprise shout, "Jack!" He had reappeared before she had, and was wadding right in front of her. Although she wanted to be annoyed with him, the look of joy on his face was too amazing for her to even try to pretend. Instead she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, rather passionately.

"What was that for?" he asked, as they broke apart.

She shrugged, "Do I have to have a reason?"

"Definitely not," he assured her, kissing her softly.

"I was thinking though," she told him, still holding onto him, managing to stay afloat. "Maybe you were right before– there really is nothing left to bring us down."

**XXXX**

**_That's all folks!_**

**A/N: So there's the epilogue. It's short, but most of mine tend to be. I hope you liked it, and didn't think the ending was too cheesy. I had a great time with this story, and am absolutely thrilled by all the comments I received. Thanks once again!**


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